The Art of Seduction
by Foreverfirstloves
Summary: High school Delena AU/AH When innocent Elena Gilbert catches her seemingly perfect boyfriend cheating on her, she makes a deal with his brother, the town playboy, to teach her how to win back his interest, and gets more than she bargained for... Some plot, mostly smut.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! Okay so this was the story that I would write on when I had writers block for other stories, so it's basically just a short little chapter fic that is little plot and a lot of smut, born of boredom.  
Loosely based on my one-shot Perfectly Broken Pieces that had a lot of "****multi-chapter" requests.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TVD or the Characters.**

* * *

_It meant nothing, babe, I swear!_

Elena stumbled over a tree branch as she let the sentence repeat through her head, over and over, convinced that she might believe it if she tried hard enough.

Her boyfriend's voice had been so desperate when he had uttered those words to her, merely moments after she had caught him in a car, half naked with her friend.

The very friend that she had ridden with to the party at Tyler Lockwood's house tonight.

The football team had won their first game of the season, and it was meant to be a night of celebration.

Instead, Elena was staggering through the woods, cold in her cheer uniform, now that she had left the warmth of the bonfires, and tears were streaming endlessly down her face.

_It meant nothing_.

She wanted to believe it.

After all, there had been kegs back at the party, and she knew Stefan had probably drunk more than his fair share…

But the image of him tangled up under Caroline's skirt, his hands on her bare back as they screwed, was permanently seared into her brain.

Caroline. Seriously? One of her best friends! How could they do this to her?

And worse, was she even surprised?

There had always been a layer of tension between the two of them, and more than once she had caught a shared look pass between-

She nearly tripped over another tree root and kicked it in frustration once she regained her footing.

Then she cursed at it. And kicked it again.

Maybe the truth had always been right there in front of her...maybe she just didn't want to see it.

And now everything was ruined!

Another kick.

_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid_.

* * *

"Elena?"

She span around at the sound of the masculine voice, and saw a lone figure next to a nearby tree, "Stefan?"

Had he followed her when she had stormed off from the party?

Good. Because he owed her one hell of an explanation!

Though, she wasn't sure if she could stomach the truth of it.

However, what stepped toward her from the shadows wasn't her boyfriend.

"Wrong Salvatore," the voice teased, and Elena's shoulders slumped in both relief and disappointment at the sight of another friend.

"Oh, Damon. I thought you might be-"

"My brother?"

She nodded as he drew closer to her; close enough that she could make out his features in the dim light provided by the moon above.

Despite the relation, Stefan's older brother looked nothing like him.

Where Stefan was bright and blond with big green eyes, Damon was like midnight water; dark and alluring.

Their differences weren't just physical either.

Damon was the Salvatore black sheep, a notorious flirt and playboy who enjoyed bending the rules whenever it suited him.

Everyone knew he was trouble with a pretty smile.

Unlike Stefan, who people respected. He was the town's golden boy.

Sweet and loyal and hers.

Until tonight.

* * *

Damon's bright blue eyes stood out against his pale skin and the ink coloring of his hair, and seemed to register the tear marks on her cheeks.

He lifted a hand to her face, his knuckles brushing against her wet skin, "I saw you take off from the party."

"So you followed me?"

He ignored her accusatory tone, "What happened?"

Not willing to humiliate herself further with the truth, Elena pushed his hand away, "Nothing. Stefan and I had a fight. I wanted to be alone."

"What? There's trouble with Mystic Falls High's perfect IT couple?" he pretended to gasp, "Say it isn't so."

Elena glared at him and he smirked, "Oh come on, my brother isn't always the brightest bulb in the box, but I'm sure it wasn't that bad."

When she only rolled her eyes, he tried again, "What was the fight about?"

And was met with silence.

Despite their friendship, Damon had never been the biggest supporter of her relationship with his brother...well, relationships in general, actually; he thought they were a waste of time.

And she wasn't about to bare her soul to be mocked by Mystic Fall's Hue Hefner.

"Ele-"

"Nothing important," she set her jaw as she cut him off, "Like I said, I just wanted to be alone."

Damon's head crooked as he studied her, "You are _actually_ upset. What happened?"

"I said I wanted to-"

"Be alone," he finished, "Yeah, I got that."

"But you could have gone home," he pointed out, when she said nothing, "Why run further off into the woods? You could get lost, or-"

Frustrated and getting angrier, Elena lashed out at him, "Why do you care? This has nothing to do with you. You didn't have to leave the party to come after me. So why don't you go back to Rebekah, or Rose, or Andie, or whoever your entertainment of the night is, and leave me the hell alone!"

She blinked harshly as new tears formed with her outburst, but Damon seemed unaffected and she hated him for the calm expression on his face.

"As much as I love honoring a woman's demands, I'm not leaving you alone out here in the woods," he said plainly, "So either tell me what Stefan said that upset you so badly, or at least let me walk you to your car."

Elena swallowed thickly, crossing her arms against the cold air and his comment.

"Caroline drove me," she managed with a shiver, her friend's name burning on her tongue, "I had no way to leave."

Damon frowned and, after a seconds pause, started to shrug out of the leather jacket that he always wore.

Before Elena had the chance to protest, he had slipped it around her shoulders and the heat left behind from his body erupted goosebumps on her skin.

"Then I'll take you home."

She sighed, "I don't need a babysitter, Damon. Seriously. Go back to the party and I'll just-"

"My car is this way," he told her, placing a hand against her lower back to urge her forward, making it clear that there would be no arguing on the matter.

He was stubborn that way.

With another weighty exhale, she gave in and let him lead her through the trees.

* * *

Damon was glad he had the roof of his Camaro up, as Elena Gilbert climbed into the passenger seat and shivered against the cold leather.

He cranked the engine and worked on getting the heater going, wishing he had another jacket to give her.

She was still in her cheer uniform, which meant she must have rode to the party right after the game earlier that night.

And while everything male in him appreciated the amount of bronzed skin showcased by that sinfully short skirt, he didn't imagine it offered much in the way of warmth.

"It'll heat up soon," he promised, as he put the car in reverse and began pulling away from where their classmates vehicles lined the edge off the woods.

Elena didn't answer, but she did pull his jacket closer to her body, and settled back into the seat.

He glanced over at her a few more times as the gravel turned to blacktop under his tires, and while her expression was blank, he could tell by her eyes that something was on her mind.

"Come on, Gilbert," he urged after a moment of silence, "Talk to me. What happened tonight?"

Elena shook her head, and he cursed her stubbornness.

Ever since they were kids she had been like that, hard headed with single minded focus.

Once she decided something, even as small as not talking, she stuck to it.

He, however, who had had many years of learning ways to get under her skin, knew how to get a reaction.

"I guess I'll just have to ask Stefan tomorrow and see if he knows why you were a complete mess out in the woods."

He expected the glare that came his way.

"Just stay out of it, Damon," she warned, and he had to fight back a victorious smirk.

The ice was broken. Now he just had to pry the truth from her.

"Now why would I do that?" he asked her, raising a brow in fake innocence, "Especially given how upset you were when I found you."

"I wasn't that upset," she snapped, her voice colder than the temperature outside, "And I didn't ask for you to come find me."

No. He had decided to do that on his own when he had seen her running through the crowd of classmates and disappearing into the trees.

He told himself it was because it was the right thing to do.

The Gilberts, like the Salvatores, were one of the founding families of Mystic Falls, the town they all called home, and Elena had always been like...well, not a little sister exactly, but some sexier equivalent.

She was his friend.

So of course he had followed her into the woods.

Various social events and school activities had intertwined their childhoods, and being the oldest of the group meant that he was supposed to look out for the younger ones.

And old habits die hard, despite the fact that Elena hadn't needed looking after since he had punched a bully for her in the fifth grade.

The kid had tattled and gotten Damon grounded for a week, but the way Elena had beamed at him then had made it worth it.

She didn't need much from him anymore.

Not since middle school, actually, when she had gained popularity while his own reputation dipped the opposite direction, and Stefan became the object of her fixation.

But she was hurting now...and his brother was probably the cause.

* * *

"It's just us here, Elena," he tried again, softening his tone, "You can tell me anything."

She bit her lip as he turned down a street, then another one, getting closer to her house.

"Why?" she quipped, "So you can make some joke or innuendo that will make me feel worse than I already do?"

He sighed, tapping the steering wheel with his fingers, "I am actually trying to help...to be a good friend."

She laughed dryly, "And if the next words out of your mouth are about having a shoulder for me to cry on, I will literally jump out of this car."

Damon smiled, despite himself, "Now that would be a bit of an overreaction, don't you think? My shoulders have to be a better alternative than death by asphalt."

Elena didn't argue the point, but instead, turned her head to look out the window.

There wasn't much to see in the night but a bunch of passing trees, so he knew she was back in her thoughts again.

"I'm angry at Stefan," she whispered, finally, the words so small he almost missed them.

"Me too, generally," Damon offered, "And him at me. It's kind of our thing. But not usually yours...so what's the deal?"

She blinked quickly, as if trying not to cry, before a look of anger clouded her expression, "I caught him with Caroline in her car, at the party. And they weren't exactly having a friendly chat."

_Oh. Shit._

"Caroline?" Damon felt his mouth pull down at the corners, "As in Caroline Forbes? I thought you and Blondie were like this."

He crossed his fingers for emphasis.

"So did I," Elena stated heatedly, "But apparently I was wrong."

Silence fell as Damon searched for the right thing to say, but before anything came to him, Elena's palm slammed against his dashboard.

"God, I'm so stupid! They're always eyeing each other and joking and hanging out and Stefan's been so distant lately and I just thought that...I wanted to believe...and this whole time, oh god..."

She dropped her head into her hands, "I think I'm going to be sick."

* * *

Damon immediately pulled over onto the side of the road, and Elena scrambled out of the car.

He copied the movement, and walked over to her side.

Luckily the air seemed to help calm her, but tears were back in those big brown eyes.

"Did you know?" she asked accusingly, when they landed on him, "Is something going on between them? Does she come to your house? You would have told me, right?"

Damon placed his hands on her arms, hoping to ease her away from the hysterics, and held her gaze, "Elena, breathe."

When she did as he said, he answered her question, "As far as I knew, you were the only girl Stefan was sleeping with. If something is going on with Caroline, it's not happening at our house."

He wasn't sure if she was relieved by that or not, but her gaze dropped and her shoulders slumped, "We're not."

"What?"

Elena looked up and there was a slight blush on her cheek...or maybe that was just the cold air getting to her.

"We aren't sleeping together," she elaborated, seeming embarrassed by the admission.

"You aren't?"

Damn, now that was surprising. How long had the two of them been dating?

A year? Maybe more.

And nothing had happened in all that time?

"I wanted to wait," Elena explained, "But...maybe I was wrong...maybe that's why I'm losing him…"

Damon shook his head, "You guys haven't done anything? Stefan has definitely hinted otherwise."

The red in her cheeks deepened, and the color looked good on her, "I mean, we've done some things. Over the clothes stuff. Just not everything. I've been thinking about it lately, but Stefan hasn't really seemed interested...and maybe that's because he's already getting it."

She laughed bitterly, "God, what am I doing wrong, Damon? Be honest. You know him as well as anyone. I thought things were good between us. Why would he do this to me?"

He wished he had a better answer to give her than the one that came to mind.

That it wasn't about her.

Stefan was the person he was closest to in his family, but the guy was an idiot.

Why the fuck even bother with a relationship if you were going to be looking for side action?

That was the whole reason Damon himself didn't do the girlfriend thing.

He knew himself well enough to know that he had no interest in monogamy.

But apparently Stefan had taken after their father in the retrospect of wanting to have your cake and eat it too.

Like that infidelity wasn't the driving factor in their mother's choice to abandon their family all those years ago.

It appeared some lessons were learned the hard way; he just hated that Elena was the one having to suffer the fallout, in this case.

* * *

"It's not you," Damon said with enough certainty that Elena almost believed him, "If a guy is looking to get some ass on the side, he will. No matter who he's dating."

She flinched a little and shook her head, "So it's not because he's bored of me? Or because Caroline, who I'll admit has vastly more experience than I do, is giving him something I won't, or can't?"

When Damon hesitated to answer, she narrowed her eyes, "That is it, isn't it?"

"No," he started, then amended when he caught her expression, "Not exactly. Look, I'm just saying that Stefan knew what he was or wasn't getting with you. If he wasn't okay with a girlfriend that doesn't put out, he should have broken up with you instead of going behind your back."

"Great," another harsh chortle escaped her, "That makes me feel loads better."

Damon sighed deeply, "You wanted honesty. But what does it matter now? You caught him. Dump his ass and move on. I hear revenge sex is a great cure for a broken heart."

Elena stared at him for a moment, then let out a small laugh.

A real one this time.

"You would be a crappy wing man."

Damon smirked and leaned back against the passenger door of his car, "No. I just have a low tolerance for bullshit. Stefan knows what you mean to me, to our family, and to this town. If he's going to be a dumbass, he deserves what he gets."

She had to agree with that...but still...her chest hurt at the thought of things being over between them.

Stefan had been her crush since she was twelve, her boyfriend for over a year now...she loved him, didn't she?

And more than that, if they broke up people would talk.

One of the most envied couples in school, darlings of the town; the perfect match...how could she ever admit that she hadn't been enough to keep his interest?

"I don't want to lose him," she admitted quietly, "Even though I'm pissed, I don't want him to leave me for Caroline, or anyone else."

"You have two options then," Damon's mouth straightened, drawing attention to his full lips, "You can try to learn every trick in the book and fuck him so mindblowingly that he'll never dare look elsewhere, or…," he reached out and tucked a piece of hair the wind had been teasing back behind her ear, "You can realize that you are too good to beg for his attention, and you don't have to come second to anyone."

For some reason, Damon's words sent a warm tingle down her spine, and watching him stand there, looking like every girl's dark fantasy, Elena got an idea.

It wasn't proper and it wasn't something she would have ever considered, under different circumstances.

But at this point, she had more to lose than just her pride and she knew Damon better than most.

So with a sudden rush of boldness, she said, "Then show me how to be first."

He blinked, confused, "What do you mean?"

She stepped closer to him, "I mean that I can choose both options. I can keep his attention by blowing his mind, and you have more experience in this particular department than anyone I know."

Damon frowned, "Your point?"

"My point is that half the girls on the squad, if not the school, either have slept with you or want to. If this is about sex...then who better to show me what to do to get and keep Stefan's focus on me."

"I am quite versed on the subject," he drawled, then shook his head, "But I highly doubt ruining your good girl reputation by throwing yourself on my brother's dick in some desperate last ditch effort is going to rectify the situation."

Elena crossed her arms, choosing to ignore his crassness, "It will ruin my reputation more if people find out the "perfect couple" broke up because the good girl couldn't keep her boyfriend's attention."

"It's beneath you," he scorned, waving a hand in indication of her body, "You're hot, and a cheerleader, and one of the most popular girls in school. You shouldn't have to compete at all. You are better than-"

"Save the righteous indignation," she cut him off, "And agree to help me."

He stared at her as if it was the first time he was seeing her, but Elena didn't back down.

Being the well behaved good girl hadn't gotten her anywhere and if she had to seal the deal in order to keep her boyfriend, then she was going to do it right.

Her point was solid.

Damon was the most promiscuous person she had ever met, and he understood Stefan better than anyone else.

She trusted him to be honest, and damn it, he was going to help her.

"You're serious," he murmured after a moment of reading her expression.

Elena nodded, "I really am."

Damon's head shook, "Surely you don't need advice on how to get a guy into bed."

"No," she allowed, "But I've never done this before. What if I mess up and completely embarrass myself? What if he doesn't like it? Apparently what we've done so far wasn't good enough, so I-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Damon waved his hand again, this time to stop her, "Stefan situation aside, you've never slept with _anyone _before? I thought that straight A's, innocent virgin thing was just a front to keep those parents of yours happy?"

Elena rolled her eyes impatiently, "No, it's not a front. Some of us don't live to rebel against our families. Now instead of judging, can you just agree to help me? Please, Damon."

* * *

Of all the ways his night could have gone, Damon never would have imagined it taking a turn in this direction.

Perfect Elena Gilbert begging him to help her please his brother in bed.

Talk about life's weird moments.

But that little "_please_" of hers was impossible to deny, and she wasn't a little girl on the playground anymore.

If she wanted to learn how to seduce and give pleasure...it wasn't his place to stop her.

_But you don't have to _help _her either_, his conscience pointed out.

Though to be honest, half of him doubted she would be able to go through with it if he did.

It was easy to think that you knew what you wanted before actually getting a taste of it.

And as stubborn as Elena was, he was willing to bet her goody-two-shoes side won out.

To prove that point to her, and maybe to himself, Damon played along.

"What's in it for me?"

Elena blinked, as if surprised that he might consider agreeing, "What do you mean?"

"You want me to help sex you up," he pointed out, "For _Stefan_ to reap all the benefits. And I'll assume you also want to keep this under the radar. So what do I get for my effort?"

Her lips parted slightly and his eyes drew down to them, outlining the pouty shape a time or two before meeting her gaze expectantly.

"If you're drawing a blank, I can think of a few fun suggestions."

"Oh, don't be a pig," Elena chastised him, then sighed, "I suppose...I could tutor you."

Damon smirked at that, "I'm a year ahead of you, Gilbert."

"So? I'm studying at a University level and you're failing Calculus," she pointed out, "You and Stefan have both told me that your Dad has been on your ass about your grades. You're a senior, and college applications will start soon. And if you care about having an academic future…"

While the prize he had been considering was slightly less schoolwork inclined, Damon couldn't deny that Elena made a valid point.

Maybe this could actually be beneficial for them both.

"So," he stated for clarification, "Your proposition is...what? That you help me with homework in exchange for-"

"For you discreetly teaching me," she finished, "You know...how to please a guy. Like I said, what I've been doing so far hasn't been good enough. So I'm willing to defer to your excessive experience."

"In pleasing guys?" he can't help but tease her, a small grin spreading across his mouth.

Elena punched his arm, "Shut up. You know what I mean. You know what guys like. And you know Stefan."

"Not like _that_," he muttered, but raised a hand when she went to hit him again, "But yes, I get what you mean…"

Elena bit her lip, "So, you'll do it?"

"You're sure this is what you want?" Damon challenged.

She nodded slowly, "If I don't do something...I'm going to lose him. If not to Caroline, then someone else. I want to do this."

Damon still didn't agree with her reasoning, but she was grown enough to make that choice for herself, and he actually could use her help with his grades.

He knew for a fact that she was top of her class and had taken advanced courses for years.

Her overachievements were something he liked to tease her about sometimes.

And maybe a small part of him was intrigued at the idea of _educating_ her in a very different way.

"Don't fight me on this," she pleaded with him, "You know you could use my help. We need each other. And besides," she smirked a little, "Isn't corrupting virgins right up your bad boy alley?"

"I'd be more inclined to agree if you _were_ just the average good girl going bad, but we both know that this isn't the case," he pulled away from his perch to stand in front of her, "You're different, Elena; Founding Family and all. Corruption comes at a price for us, so you need to be sure you're willing to pay it."

There was a blazing look in those doe eyes.

"Is this sure enough for you?" she challenged, and grabbed the front of his shirt.

* * *

Damon had very little time to register what was happening before her lips came against his and a jolt like lightning shot down his spine.

For a moment, he was stunned into immobility; completely struck stupid by the fact that Elena Gilbert was kissing him.

Then the heat of her body sidling up next to his broke through the shock and the soft pressure of her mouth called to him.

His arms slid around her, beneath his jacket that had slipped down to expose her shoulders and he pulled her flush against his chest, deepening the kiss.

Elena's lips parted and his tongue dipped between them, tasting her, teasing her and himself in the process.

And when her own tongue joined in, he forgot everything.

He forgot that this girl had been like a kid sister to him since birth.

That she was one of his best friends now.

He forgot that she was currently his brother's girlfriend and that he really shouldn't be gripping her hips the way he was.

Like he was about to pick her up and pin her against the nearest flat surface.

He forgot that it was a cold fall night and they were standing on the side of the road near his car in the dark.

Hell, he might have even forgotten his own name.

Then, as quickly as it started, the moment was over.

Elena pulled away from him, his mouth, and his embrace.

The biting air was a slap in the face, as well as a hell of a wake up call.

Holy shit...Elena didn't need lessons on how to tease a man; Stefan just needed a lobotomy for not enjoying what was right in front of him.

Damon's eyes trailed Elena's face, noticing her beauty more keenly than ever, and his only consolation was that she was breathing as hard as he was...and appeared just as affected by the kiss.

"It's a deal," he exhaled slowly, regaining control of himself.

All effort was lost when she smiled at him, "Thank you."

He nodded, but felt as if he should be saying those words to her.

_God_, Damon thought, _my brother really is an idiot_.

And wasn't that just perfect for him.

* * *

Elena couldn't sleep after Damon dropped her off, despite being snuggled up in a ton of blankets on her queen sized bed.

The house was empty due to the fact that her parents were out of town for a hospital conference.

Not that it was ever brimming with their presence, even when they were home in Mystic Falls.

They both ran a practice through Mystic Falls General, and the tedious, alternating schedules didn't leave a lot of room for quality family time.

Not that Elena really minded...sometimes it was a blessing to so rarely have her mother and father home together.

On the nights when one or both of her parents were working, she knew she wouldn't have to put in her headphones with her music playing on the loudest setting to drown out the arguing that always managed to echo down the hall.

That was, of course, assuming her parents managed to stay in the same room with each other for longer than ten minutes.

On the nights they couldn't, the silence was loaded with all the things they weren't saying, or had said too many times already.

So really, absence was better, even if it was a week long.

Besides, she was supposed to be crashing with Caroline.

Her anger had subsided some, though she still felt annoyed every time her phone lit up with a text from the blonde in question.

Lots of apologizing. Even more excuses.

_It just happened._

_We had been drinking_.

The quickly overused "_It didn't mean anything_."

Her text were starting to sound a lot like Stefan's.

Elena had decided to ignore them both until morning, when she had had a bit more time to process the events of the night.

Especially the ones at the end of it.

Had she really kissed Damon Salvatore?

She lifted her fingers to her lips, tracing the length of them and remembering how it felt to have Damon's against them.

The electric shock that touching him had sent through her body had been a surprise, and it had taken all of her will power to pull away when she did.

Damon certainly had talent, and she knew that, despite the moral ambiguity of the matter, enlisting his help was the best thing to do.

She had considered, after the kiss, that the physical aspect of this learning experience might almost be the same as cheating on Stefan, but had quickly nixed that thought.

It was Stefan's fault she even felt the need to seek Damon's help, and using him for strictly educational purposes was not cheating.

Not like Stefan had done with Caroline.

And besides, it was just _Damon_.

They were friends.

And who else could teach her how to not only get her boyfriend's singular focus, but make him regret ever letting it trail elsewhere in the first place.

Maybe she was feeling a tad vindictive, but she wanted Stefan to want her so badly, he would hate himself for ever risking losing her.

She already had to compete for her parents' attention; she refused to do the same with her boyfriend.

So she would make him want her; she would be the best.

And no one knew what pulled the strings of desire better than Damon.

She was eager to learn anything he was willing to show her, and she trusted him to keep quiet about their arrangement.

* * *

Her phone beeped again, and Elena groaned, getting ready to just silence the thing, when she saw the name on the screen.

Speaking of the devil…

_D: Stefan's home. He was moping about how you're ignoring him. I think he thinks you're going to dump him._

Elena smirked as she read the message.

_E: Good. He deserves to feel like crap tonight._

The reply came before she had the chance to set her phone back down.

_D: So you like to punish. Kinky._

She laughed and rolled over, propping herself up on an elbow to text him back.

_E: I'm only pro-torture when it's deserved...or when I'm really bored._

His reply was short.

_D: Bored now?_

She began typing a response, but her phone rang before she could send it.

Damon was calling her.

Her stomach flipped as she answered, "Hello?"

"Torture me."

She giggled quietly and turned onto her side, "I never said I was bored now...though I am sure you've done plenty to deserve a punishment."

His warm chuckle echoed down the line, "Maybe one or two things of late. Is my brother still texting you?"

Elena pulled the phone away to check her notifications, "Off and on for the past hour. Though you should know as well as me. You're at home with him."

"No, I locked myself in the bedroom," he said easily, "Only so much poor-me-pity-me I can take in one night."

She frowned at that, "Do you think I should text him back?"

"Hell no. Let him fret tonight. Or all weekend. Really work him up for you."

She sighed and flipped onto her back again, "Monday, then. I'll let him off the hook after some grovelling...then you'll help me make sure this never happens again, right?"

"Deal's a deal," Damon agreed with a slight jostling, and she could just imagine him stretching out on his large, king size bed, "Though part of me thinks you're lying about your experience. Or lack thereof."

Elena blinked in the dark; her mouth falling open, "Lying? I didn't lie to you."

Something changed in Damon's tone then, and his voice deepened, "Well, you certainly don't kiss like a virgin."

A blush ran through her cheeks and down her neck, causing Elena to have to swallow, twice, before responding.

"I was proving a point."

That dark laugh sounded again, "Right. And what point is that? That you're sure you want my help learning how to seduce a man? You are plenty capable of that already."

The praise would have meant more if the image of her boyfriend cheating wasn't still so fresh in her mind.

If she was so great at the sexual stuff, why was Stefan looking elsewhere for it?

"I'm not," she murmured, and wondered if the shame in her voice was as obvious to Damon as it was to her, "I have no clue what I'm doing when it comes to all that."

"Mmm," he purred, "The hand between my legs right now begs to differ."

Elena shot up off the pillow, "Damon! You are not- you can't be-"

He laughed as she spluttered in shock.

"Calm down, Gilbert, I'm only joking. Well. Sort of joking. I _have_ had a raging hard on since your little kiss earlier, but I'm polite enough to wait until we're off the phone before taking care of it."

Her mouth fell open again, and this time, nothing came out.

_Had he really just said...oh my god!_

"No...this isn't…I didn't meant to give you the wrong impression. If you thought…"

"Elena," he chuckled, "Chill. I'm well aware of what your intentions are; and what they aren't. You do my homework, I give you lessons. Doesn't mean I can't enjoy the...side effects."

Her blush deepened and she was suddenly very glad that she was alone tonight.

"Fine," she allowed, "Enjoy whatever you like. But I'm making some conditions to our agreement."

"Oh?"

"Yes, two conditions," she ticked them off on her fingers, as if he could see her, "One, I will not be doing your homework for you. I will help tutor you and make sure your grades improve. But you will do the work."

He was rolling his eyes right now, she just knew it.

"Fine. And two?"

"I will not have sex with you."

Now it was his turn to lack a response, and she couldn't help but enjoy his silence before elaborating, "I will concede to certain...tutorials, if and when it's necessary, but I won't sleep with you. Just to be sure there are no misunderstandings. Okay?"

More silence.

"Hello?"

His throat was cleared, "That almost sounds like a challenge, Gilbert."

"It's really not," she pressed, "I just know you, Damon. You like to play games, and the last thing I need is a scandal. I want to be sure we are on the same page with this. So...are we clear?"

"Yeah, sweetheart," the tease was gone from his voice now, and somehow that seemed even more dangerous, "We're clear."

* * *

**Bow wow wow :)**

**So that's the first chapter. Let me know what you think! **


	2. Chapter 2

**New chapter!**

**I already have some more written, so I'm hoping to be able to update pretty frequently.  
****However, this story won't be super long, maybe 10ish chapters or so.**

**Anyway, thanks to everyone who read and/or reviewed, followed, faved! You guys are awesome! :)**

* * *

"The alphabet doesn't belong in math," Damon complained as he stared down at the mass of textbooks on the table, none of which were very helpful, "Polynomials and Quadratic theories aren't going to mean shit in the real world. This is why we have computers."

Elena was sitting next to him, her chocolate hair piled high on her head, an easy smile on her lips, "It doesn't have to mean anything. It just has to get you past graduation."

He grunted, and she tapped his paper, "You've got this, Damon. Just focus. Tell me where you get stuck."

Together, they worked the problem out, though it took him a few more tries to really understand the formula.

Having Elena so close to his side, smelling like warm vanilla, probably wasn't helping his concentration skills.

Especially given the fantasies he'd been entertaining about her all weekend.

It had been a surprise for him that morning, when she had cornered him at his locker at school, asking when their first study session would be.

He had tactically offered to start that very afternoon, and she had been all too pleased by the answer.

Part of him had wondered, after getting off the phone with her Friday night, if she would come to her senses and back out of their little arrangement, but so far she was still resolved.

In typical Elena Gilbert fashion, she was determined to see them both better educated, and wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Of course, it was the prospect of _her _education that was stealing his focus.

For years, everything about Elena had been off limits.

She was just his friend; the good little Gilbert girl.

His childhood playmate. Stefan's girlfriend.

She was fun to talk to at Founder events.

Fun to flirt with in the school halls.

Fun to tease when she was over at his house, visiting his brother.

But he had never considered that there might ever be anything more to her.

At least, not until she had kissed him the other night.

His mouth still burned with the memory and he couldn't look at her now and not feel the attraction.

He remembered all too well her pink, swollen lips teasing his own; her breathy inhale as his tongue brushed against hers; the soft curve of her body pressed against his.

At that moment, innocent little Gilbert had been anything but, and he was way too eager for the experience to repeat itself.

He wondered if she was too.

If, like him, she had been fantasizing over the possibility all afternoon, building up to these moments now, when they were alone.

Surely that was why she had suggested they come here, to her house, wasn't it?

Elena's parents, Grayson and Miranda Gilbert, were both doctors at the local hospital and were currently attending a conference in Richmond.

Since they weren't due back until Wednesday, the Gilbert house was practically empty, which made it the perfect place for "tutoring".

And once that was realized, Damon's interest in Calculus dimmed considerably.

* * *

"Alright, I think that's enough math for today," he decided, after forcing himself to finish the final equation on the homework.

Elena laughed, but took the page from him for a final examination.

"We got a lot done," she admitted, then arched a brow at him, "And I'm impressed. You aren't as stupid as you try to act like you are."

He grinned at that, closing his books, "My brother may be the nerd in my family, but I do have a working brain. And you give a much better math lesson than old Mr. Sullivan."

"Not exactly a hard feat to accomplish," she noted, giving him back the homework sheet, "Seeing as he tends to sleep away half the class at his desk."

"Our parents tax dollars, hard at work," Damon joked as she pushed out of the chair she had been occupying and stood up.

"I'll get us more snacks," she motioned to the backpack he had dropped on the floor when they had first started, "Did you want to start on English Lit now, or-"

"We've given academics an hour of our time," he reasoned, "How about a break?"

She nodded, "Alright. You can go in the living room and pick out a movie. Remote for the TV is on the coffee table. I'll bring food and drinks."

She walked out of the dining room toward the kitchen, so he did as she suggested and went the opposite way, to the living room.

The Gilberts were well off, as were most of the Founding Families, yet unlike the Salvatore's seven bedroom manor, Elena's house was more modest.

The flat screen was reasonably sized, and the furniture, while older, was not antique.

There were throw blankets on the sofa and magazines on the end table.

It was more homey, yet still...there was evident organization; an inelasticity that spoke of the rigid lifestyle her parents enforced.

And despite the differences, the environment had a similar reflection to the cold, dark walls of the stiff mansion he lived in.

Damon shook off the thought and took a seat on the couch.

Today wasn't about breaking down the details of their living strutcures.

He let his mind drift back to the situation at hand, as he waited for Elena to join him, and once again, that lingering anticipation began to build.

* * *

It didn't take long for her to come into the room, carrying a sleeve of cookies and two glasses, but when she saw him, she frowned.

"You didn't turn on the television."

"No, I didn't," he helped her place the haul down on the coffee table and waited until she was sitting next to him before saying, "Because you didn't really want me to. Did you?"

She straightened, clearly catching the meaning behind his tone, "There will be plenty of time for...all of that. I just thought we would watch something for now."

He smirked as her gaze focused steadily on the blank screen in front of them, and he couldn't stop himself from leaning over and whispering into her ear, "Really? You had no other plans, inviting me over today?"

Her eyes flew to his, and Damon saw the thinly veiled panic in them.

"Backing down already?" he challenged but pulled away, not wanting her to feel crowded.

She didn't say anything, which sobered him.

"Elena, we don't_ have_ to do this," he assured her, "If you're uncomfortable, we can end this whole thing now."

Again, she was silent, but her gaze fell, so he took that as confirmation and moved to stand up, "I can go, and we'll just-"

"No," the word was barely a breath, but it stopped him, and Elena's hand shot out, grabbing onto his arm, "No...stay."

Damon felt relieved, but studied her face, wanting to be certain she wasn't having second thoughts.

Elena tugged on him, dragging him closer, until he was back on the couch and she was at his side, as near as she could be without actually sitting in his lap.

And then she was kissing him.

He was better prepared this time, but just as she had on Friday night, Elena left him breathless.

Their first kiss had been so unexpected, that he had wanted to chalk up the intensity of it to the shock that it was happening at all.

But oh, he was wrong.

Because this was the kiss he'd been anticipating all day, and it still consumed him entirely, stealing every thought in his head that wasn't about touching her.

Elena took the lead, her tongue pushing through his lips and sweeping into his mouth, taking what little air had been left in his lungs.

He let her deepen the kiss, and her hands lifted to tangle in his hair.

She fisted the ends of it in her palm and as her teeth grazed over his bottom lip, Damon thickened beneath his jeans.

A fact Elena almost discovered first hand as she pressed herself further into him, one of her knees slipping onto his thigh and he wanted more than anything to pull her the rest of the way over; to have her straddling his lap as he thrusted against her.

But this wasn't about what he wanted...it was about her, so he would just have to calm down.

* * *

He had barely managed to get his thoughts under control when Elena pulled away, breaking the kiss.

She was panting a little, and he tried, and failed, to ignore the way her chest lifted with each inhale she took.

"So, what am I doing wrong?" she demanded, once they had both caught their breath.

"Nothing," he admitted without hesitation, "Like I told you on Friday, you know how to kiss, Gilbert. Hell, I could spend hours letting you do that to me."

He expected that to please her, but instead she sighed and sank back onto her side of the couch, "Then why is so much work to get Stefan to feel the same way? He doesn't kiss me the way he was kissing Caroline in that car."

Damon shook his head, "Forget about them right now. This kiss alone was hotter than Caroline Forbes on her best day, and Stefan's an idiot for letting you think you have to work for anything. It should be about pleasure, nothing else."

"Yeah," she agreed bitterly, "Pleasing my boyfriend so he won't leave me."

"I meant your pleasure," Damon argued, "You have to enjoy it too."

"I do," Elena insisted, but there was something blank in her expression, "I mean, I like kissing."

Damon frowned and studied her.

When she didn't add anything further, his brows pulled together in revelation.

She had no idea what he was actually talking about.

"Elena," he started, more gently this time, "Have you ever had an orgasm?"

The question was direct, but he had to know.

She blanched at him, then spluttered, "What? Of course I have! I mean...I...I think I have."

Damon shook his head, "An orgasm isn't something that you have to to think about. If you've had one, you'd know it."

Elena bit her lip nervously and he internally cursed.

Was Stefan honestly the biggest fool on the planet? His girlfriend was smart, beautiful, sexy, and one hell of a kisser...and she had never had an orgasm?

Had his brother not listened to a single thing he had told him over the years about pleasuring women?

Maybe he should be giving Stefan these lessons, instead of Elena.

No wonder the girl had wanted to wait on the whole sex thing; she had no clue what she was missing out on.

And he knew just how to rectify that.

* * *

Elena's doe eyes widened in confusion when he suddenly straightened to front face her completely.

"I want to try something," Damon said, reaching for her hand as he brought his legs up onto the couch.

She placed her palm in his and he pulled her closer to him, "Turn your back toward me."

Elena did as he asked, only a little awkwardly, and he adjusted until they were both lying long ways across the sofa, her back pressed to his chest.

"Get comfortable," he told her, not hating the feel of her body as she moved against him, finding the perfect fit for their contortions.

Once she was settled, her weight fell back into him and he wrapped his arms around her, "Okay, lesson one..."

He let one of his hands wrap around hers and guided it down her abdomen, stopping at the hem of her shirt.

With his lips against her ear, he whispered, "Unbutton your pants."

He felt Elena's muscles tense as her eyes widened, "Seriously?"

"Yes."

A frown, "Do I have to?"

"It is completely up to you," he reminded her, "But you asked for my help. Do you want it or not?"

Her lip got the chewing treatment again, and he waited for her nerves to win out.

But that's not what happened.

Instead, Elena's hand left his and fumbled over her pants button, and she undid the thing.

Damon had to bite back a groan as he caught a flash of the pink silk she was wearing beneath, but then Elena was leaning back to look up at him, and he had to focus.

"Now what?" she challenged, with only the slightest movement of her throat as she swallowed giving away her nervousness.

Damon sank further against the armrest he was propped up by and reminded himself that this was strictly for her education. Nothing more.

However, that didn't stop his gaze from roaming down the length of her body, before he reached out his hand, "Give me your palm."

Hesitantly, Elena placed her hand into his again and Damon squeezed her fingers, "Do you trust me?"

She inhaled slowly, her hair tickling his neck, "I probably shouldn't...but yes."

"Then try to relax," he turned his head to kiss her temple, "And I'll show you how good it can be for you. Okay?"

He waited for her to nod her consent, before moving his hand to the back of hers and guiding it.

First, he trailed their fingers down her neck, then over her chest, slowly grazing over each mound.

It wasn't likely she was feeling much sensation through the bra she was wearing, but he was hoping the intimacy of the touch alone would get her head in the game.

A minute later, her hips were shifting unconsciously, and he knew he'd succeeded.

He left her breast then, and moved them back down her stomach, to the waistline of that pink silk beneath her jeans.

"Have you ever touched yourself?" he whispered, pressing his forehead against her hair so that the words brushed her ear.

Elena shook her head, "No...not like this."

He had figured as much, "We'll go slow."

* * *

He pushed their hands into her panties, and brushed over her slit.

They both gasped at the contact.

God, she was wettening already and the tips of his fingers were suddenly coated with her warmth.

He breathed for a moment, then began to move them in small circles, forcing hers to follow the same motion, and Elena's head fell back against his shoulder.

After a moment, she moaned, and the sound went straight to his already hardening cock.

What he wouldn't give to rip away that denim, flip their bodies, pull her underwear aside, and bury himself deep within all that slick heat.

But this was all for her, and he was nothing if not giving, so Damon forced himself to ignore the straining pressure in his own pants and increased the speed of their hands.

When he rubbed against her clit, Elena's fingers left his, moving instead to dig into his forearm, nails scoring deep as her hips jerked.

"Damon," she rushed out, her body straining for release, and her head turned up toward him in an invitation so irresistible, he had to kiss her.

The second their mouths met, she moaned again and the sound echoed down his throat.

With the skills learned from years of experience, Damon worked Elena with his fingers until she was shivering from the build up.

He edged her, closer and closer, slowing down, speeding up, drawing out the pleasure for as long as possible.

When she breathed his name against his lips in a whimper, he took things even further and let a single finger slip inside of her.

Her cries grew louder and there was no sound more lovely in the entire world.

"Come for me, Elena," he purred as her muscles began to clench. Half commanding, half begging.

And her entire body responded.

Her hips shot up as her core tightened around him, and her legs scissored slightly as he kept moving his fingers.

Her mouth left his and she buried her face into his neck instead, her teeth leaving indentations just below his jugular as she bit down her cry.

Damon let her ride it out before extracting his hand, and Elena flinched at the loss of connection before sagging in his arms.

Her face was still hidden in his neck as she breathed deeply, but he could see the corner of her mouth turned up in a smile.

His chest tightened with a hint of smugness.

* * *

Elena couldn't believe that she had just let Damon Salvatore finger her, on her living room couch no less.

But what was even more unbelievable was what had happened in her body because of his touches.

He was right, damn him.

An orgasm wasn't something you would ever forget, and she had never experienced anything like that before.

She took another settling breath, then lifted her face so she could see him.

Damon's self-satisfied smile matched her own and she reached up to touch his lips.

"That was…" she couldn't think of an adjective good enough to encompass what he had just done to her, but lost her train of thought when his mouth parted around her fingers.

His tongue swiveled out, licking away the damp aftermath of their activity, and it was so erotic to know what he was tasting, that she felt her body respond with more of that wetness.

Damon's eyes met hers and he seemed to read her mind, because he released her hand and licked his lips.

"Do you have any idea how good you taste?"

She blushed, "I…"

"Here," he tilted his head and kissed her.

Just like before, she felt an electric current flash through her body as their lips pressed together.

Damon's tongue wasted no time forcing its way inside of her and she immediately understood what he meant.

She could taste herself on him, and though it was a faint flavor, it screamed of all things private and wanton.

Wanting more, she reached up and grabbed the back of his head, deepening the kiss.

Damon obliged, shifting them until she was beneath him on the sofa, and his body hovered between her parted thighs.

Then his kiss moved to her neck, trailing up to her ear where he said softly, "And that was with all of your clothes still on. It only gets better from here."

"Better than this?" she couldn't hide the disbelief in her voice.

Surely there was nothing better than what she had just felt...was still feeling, in the core of her stomach.

Damon smirked, "I'll show you more, don't worry. But for today, we'll end the lesson with this. You have to know what pleasure is in order to give it to someone else, so practice. Find out what you like, what you don't. There's no shame in learning your own body."

When she nodded, he gave her a final kiss, then sat up, moving to the far side of the couch.

She followed his example and straightened up herself, redonning the button on her pants.

"Why don't you go ahead and put on that movie," Damon suggested, "I think we can both use the distraction."

She laughed quietly, "I think that's a good idea. Assuming my legs are done shaking."

His smile broadened as his eyes moved to her thighs, "Don't worry; they'll recover."

Then he was standing, and Elena frowned, "Where are you going?"

He motioned toward the hall across the room, "Bathroom. Unless you'd prefer I take care of the...side effects right here?"

It took a second for her to realize what he meant and when it clicked, her eyes fell down to his waist.

Sure enough, there was something below his belt that was screaming for attention, and she couldn't help but smile.

"I did that."

Damon chuckled, "Yeah, sweetheart. That is all because of you."

* * *

The smile didn't leave her face as she turned to let him go take care of business and focused on finding the TV remote.

Once she had, she turned it onto some random channel and brought her legs up as she waited.

Damon joined her a few moments later, absent his little, or not so little, problem.

And together they laid back out on the sofa and pretended to watch the movie.

* * *

It was after eight when Damon got home, and he wasn't surprised to find the house quiet.

His father was probably upstairs in the study, where he had practically lived since Damon's mother had left him a decade ago.

The boys knew better than to interrupt him, and to be honest, Damon had long since lost the desire to ever converse with the man anyway.

Upstairs, Stefan's bedroom door was open, but he could hear nothing from inside.

He found out why when he opened his own door.

His brother was sitting on the edge of the bed, fiddling with his phone as he obviously waited for him.

"You're in the wrong room," Damon announced himself, and Stefan looked up.

"Hey, you're home!"

"And you're on my bed," he pointed out and Stefan laughed, "Yeah, I was waiting for you."

_No shit_.

He kicked off his shoes and started stripping out of his jacket, "What's up?"

"You were studying with Elena today, right?"

Damon paused, "Yeah. She's helping me with Calculus. Why?"

"No reason...just…," he rubbed the back of his neck, "Did you say anything to her? To Elena?"

Damon paused, "About what?"

"Me," Stefan said, as if it were obvious, "About me and her? And what happened Friday."

Damon schooled his expression before turning to face his brother, "What happened Friday?"

Stefan rolled his eyes, "Oh come on, man. I told you. It was all a big misunderstanding, and-"

"And your dick accidently found its way into Caroline Forbes?" Damon challenged, "Good thing you want to be a doctor and not a lawyer. You don't make very compelling arguments."

Stefan's face went cold, "It's not a lie. I told you, we were just drunk...and it was just meant to be a little fun. It was barely cheating; we didn't even finish-."

"But you would have," Damon called him out, "If Elena hadn't busted you first. And news flash, fucking someone that isn't your girlfriend _is_ cheating."

Stefan sighed, "It was just the one time. I didn't mean for it to happen. I just need the chance to explain that, but Elena isn't talking to me. What if she breaks up with me?"

He scoffed, "Should have thought of that before you hooked up with her best friend, don't you think? Tends to upset most girls. Hell, we should know that better than anyone, or have you not learned from our father?"

Stefan shook his head, "This was different. Dad cheated on mom over and over and-"

"And she left," Damon pointed out, "A lesson well taught, don't you think?"

With more theatrics than necessary, Stefan threw himself back onto Damon's bed.

"This isn't like that. Just...tell me what to do."

He dropped an arm over his eyes, "I tried calling, then texting. I apologized, I gave her space, I begged her to talk to me...I don't know what else there is."

Damon fought back an eye roll of his own and exhaled slowly, "Forgiveness isn't a laundry list of things you can do to win her over."

"But...there has to be something I can do or say to her? You're good at this stuff with girls; so tell me how to make her forgive me."

His brows were pulled so tightly over his eyes that Damon worried he might pop a vessel in his forehead.

Typical Stefan, to feel so entitled after being the one to fuck up; that apple really had fallen right next to the tree, hadn't it?

"Please," Stefan added, "I don't want her to end it."

Wow. There was actual concern in his voice.

Damon was tempted to tell him to shove it; or to go reflect on why he had cheated in the first place if the relationship meant that much to him.

But then Stefan bit his lip, and looked so young and lost that he had a rare moment of compassion for his younger brother.

"She isn't going to break up with you, idiot," he said tiredly.

_Even though she should._

"You hurt her and pissed her off, so now she's making you wait," he explained, "It's what women do. And after Friday, you deserve it. But trust me, she doesn't want to break up with you."

Stefan sat up, looking hopeful, "Are you sure? Did she say something?"

_Yeah_, Damon thought bitterly, _My name, over and over, as she came on my fingers_.

His fist clenched at the memory.

"Not a lot. She mentioned she was pissed at you, but she's planning on talking to you soon. Just leave her alone. Let her be mad for a bit."

Even though she certainly hadn't seemed angry earlier.

In fact, she had been quite the opposite as they had laughed at the cheesy rom-com she had picked out and fought over the last cookie.

"Thanks man," Stefan said, hitting his shoulder as he walked by, "If you see her again, tell her I'm sorry, will you? And to text me."

"Sure," Damon said.

_I'll get right on that_.

* * *

Elena showered and brushed her teeth before crawling underneath her blanket and grabbing her phone from the nightstand.

She had half expected Damon to text her, but only had a notification from Stefan.

Leaving that conversation for tomorrow, she pulled up the oldest Salvatore's number and quickly texted out a message.

_E: Thanks for the lesson. When is the next one?_

She held her breath as she waited for his answer, and thankfully, it came quick.

_D: So eager for more math?_

This asshole.

She smirked to herself and sent him the middle finger emoji, before receiving a second text.

_D: The equations were quite enthralling. We will have to plan for part two soon._

Yes. They really would, she thought, as her phone beeped a third time.

_D: Stefan was asking about you. How long are you planning on torturing him?_

Elena sighed.

_E: Very soon. And just until tomorrow...or the day after. You said to let him fret._

Again, the reply was fast.

_D: Good girl._

For some reason, his response brought a blush to her cheek and she recalled, with perfect clarity, their moment downstairs earlier.

Damon had made her feel things she hadn't even known were possible, and she couldn't wait to feel them again.

_E: I didn't know it could be like that._

She wrote with no extra context, but Damon's mind still seemed to be on the same wavelength as hers, because he answered back shortly:

_D: It should always be like that._

She shivered as more recollections filled her mind.

_E: I want to do that again._

Another fast reply.

_D: Then do it now. For homework_.

She laughed.

Of course Damon would suggest that.

And maybe, just maybe she had considered it...but no...she wasn't going to do that now...it would be weird, wouldn't it?

He had said that there was no shame in learning your body, and it _had_ felt amazing when he had made her touch herself, but everything good and proper from her upbringing said that it was wrong.

Taboo, even.

Her phone beeped again. Another text.

_D: I dare you_.

Elena swallowed and sent one back.

_E: You dare me? Oh please. We aren't twelve._

They absolutely were not, and she wasn't going to be swayed by a childish challenge.

Yet, for some reason, Elena found herself slowly reaching a hand beneath the blanket, until she felt the top of her underwear.

Unwilling images of that earlier evening played through her mind and for a moment it was as if Damon were still there, pressed against her side, breathing in her ear, guiding her hand with his own.

She took a deep breath...and slipped her fingers inside.

* * *

**Getting a little more ****citrusy with this lemon ;)**

**More sexy scenes to follow! Hope you guys enjoyed!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for the reviews; they're extremely motivating!**

**Here's the next chapter!**

* * *

It wasn't until Wednesday that Elena decided to finally throw Stefan a bone.

She had gotten to school early, knowing he had football practice in the mornings, and found him easily on the field, running plays with his teammates.

The bleachers on the other side of the track that surrounded the fake turf were bare, so Elena climbed up a few steps and sat down.

This wasn't the first time she had attended an early practice, being loud and supportive from the stands, often accompanied by other members of her squad, but today was different.

She was pensive as she watched the plays being run, and waited quietly until Coach Tanner had blown the final whistle, dismissing the team to hit the locker room.

She could have called out, hailing Stefan before he disappeared, but she had decided on a course of action earlier that morning, and planned on following through with it.

When all the guys had disappeared into the building across the field for a quick shower and change, she sent Stefan a message.

It was short and simple, telling him to wait in the locker room until the others had left, if he wanted to speak with her.

She didn't bother reading the response, though it came quickly.

Instead, she stared out at the football field, recalling the many nights she had stood on that very sideline, cheering the Mystic Falls Timberwolves on to victory with her squadmates.

She thought of Caroline, who had always joked and laughed with her during half-time, mercilessly judging the other team's cheer squad and their obviously inferior routines.

Elena did miss her friend, but couldn't dull the ache that was now attached to those memories.

She had decided to try and forgive Stefan, despite what he had done, but didn't know how to handle the situation with her former bestie.

Caroline's betrayal almost hurt worse than his had.

Was reconciliation even possible? And if so, how were they supposed to move forward and pretend like nothing had happened?

Did she trust that Caroline would never make a move on Stefan again? Sober or not.

And would Stefan let her?

Elena shook her head and pushed away the thoughts.

She would figure out her relationship with Caroline later; right now, she had a point to prove.

* * *

It only took a few minutes for the group of football players to exit the locker room building and start down the pathway that led to the parking lot in front of the high school.

Stefan wasn't with them.

She waited another moment or two, letting the last few stragglers take off, before making her way over, undetected.

The boys locker room wasn't the most sanitary of places, given the sweaty bodies that usually occupied the space, but steam from the recently used showers carried the scent of soap and body spray, so it was bearable when Elena slipped inside the doors.

She glided through the rows of lockers easily, until she found Stefan, closer to the back.

He was sitting on the bench in front of his own locker, his phone in hand.

"Expecting a call?" she asked, startling him a little.

Those green eyes of his flew up and when he spotted her, he jumped to his feet.

"Elena! I didn't know if you were actually going to show."

"I said I was, didn't I?"

He nodded, "Yeah...but I wasn't sure if you were going to change your mind...I've been trying to reach you all week."

"I know," she assured him, stepping across the space so that she was standing in front of him, "I've been ignoring you all week."

A hurt look flashed across his features and his head dropped, "I deserve it."

"Yeah, you do."

There was a pregnant pause, then Stefan opened his mouth to speak, "Elena, I'm sor-"

"Don't apologize," she cut him off, "You've already said it, and I don't need to hear it again."

He frowned, "Then what do you want me to say? I want to fix this, babe. Tell me what to do."

Elena felt relieved by his declaration.

If he really was serious, then maybe there was hope for them and she could forget that this whole embarrassing fiasco ever happened.

"Just tell me one thing," she held his gaze, refusing to let any emotion display on her features.

"Anything."

"Have there been others? Besides Caroline?"

Stefan made to reach for her hand, but stopped when she flinched away.

"No," he promised, "And Friday night was the first time she and I ever...that's never happened before. I didn't intend for it to happen."

Elena swallowed, crossing her arms, "The why did it?"

He reached up to rub the back of his neck, as if he were uncomfortable with the question.

_Good_.

"I...I don't know. We'd been drinking and dancing, and then we were in her car and it just...happened. I had been wanting to be with you for so long, and we've been putting it off, and everything was just kinda built up and-"

"Oh, so it's my fault?" Elena challenged.

"No," he backtracked quickly, "No. That's not what I meant."

Another rub of the neck.

"Look, I never meant to hurt you," he tried again, "I swear, Elena. I made a mistake, but that's all it was. I got swept up in the moment and it was just about the-"

He stopped himself, but Elena could guess the rest.

"It was just about the sex," she finished, and now he was the one flinching, "I'm sorry."

He did look regretful, the guilt painted all over his handsome face, and Elena told herself that this was where she had wanted him.

Begging for forgiveness. All but grovelling for a second chance.

She thought back to the conversation she'd had with Damon and knew that she had to stick to her plan if she wanted to make this work.

Show him what he had risked losing...make him want it.

Surely she could do that.

Damon certainly hadn't shied away from telling her how attractive she was; how much of a tease just having his hands on her had been.

Why should it be any different now?

* * *

"I want you to touch me," she said decisively, the words a little breathless thanks to the nerves flipping in her throat.

Stefan looked taken aback, "What?"

His surprise was understandable; she was Elena Gilbert after all and she never did anything improper or scandalous.

"Touch me," Elena commanded with feigned confidence, stepping even closer to him, "Touch me the way you touched her."

Stefan's breath caught and she saw a flicker of something different take over the shock in his gaze.

"Are you...are you sure?"

Instead of answering, Elena dug up all the courage she had, biting back her insecurities, and took that last step forward.

When they were face to face, she reached up to cup his neck, then brushed the lightest of kisses on his lips.

They were warm and familiar, as were the eyes that were searching her face.

She turned around, pressing her back against Stefan's chest, forcing his back against the wall of lockers.

Her eyes closed and she remembered her experience Monday afternoon, on the couch with Damon.

"I'm going to unbutton my pants," she spoke slowly, following the memory, "And we are going to touch me."

Stefan's hands found her waist as she did what she'd said, and she reached over to take one of his hands into her own.

And just as Damon had done for her, she guided Stefan's hand down, until his fingers were past her waistband, and she felt that tingle of pleasure when contact was made.

"Holy...shit," Stefan murmured against her hair as she moved their hands, focusing the tips of his fingers over her clit.

She could feel him hardening, the erection starting to press against her back, and the knowledge that she was causing that reaction made her feel more secure in her decision.

When his hips started to move slightly, thrusting against her, she groaned.

This was what she wanted. Stefan, hot and bothered, wanting her.

Yet, her body wasn't quite complying.

Despite the victory she felt and the little jolts of pleasure from being touched, there was no climactic edging.

No looming explosion on the horizon.

"Faster," she goaded, having learned from her short personal exploration that she liked that, and Stefan obliged.

It helped, but...it wasn't quite…

Before, it had been so...she just needed-

"_Come for me, Elena_."

The memory of Damon's soft growl in her ear was her undoing, and she felt the bomb detonate from out of nowhere.

* * *

She cried out, covering her mouth with one hand, and reaching down to stop Stefan's movement with the other.

He was breathing as hard as she was, "Did you just-"

"Uh huh," she answered, before pulling at his hand until he removed it from her pants.

Then she buttoned herself and tugged the bottom of her shirt back into place.

Stefan reached for her, his arms trying to slide around her waist, but she held her ground and he settled for just resting his hands on her hips.

"That was...new," he commented, still seeming a little dazed.

Elena smiled sweetly, "And that's all you're getting for today."

Stefan's brows pulled together and Elena's smirk darkened, "Consider the blue balls an atonement for Friday night."

He blinked, then started to speak, but again she stopped him, this time with a quick peck to his cheek, "Prove to me that you mean what you say, that you're sorry and it was a one time mistake, and I might be willing to help alleviate you."

They were pressed together, so she felt it when his erection jumped at her words.

Her smile broadened and she leaned back, "Until then, I'll see you in class."

With that, she turned and walked away, not giving him a second glance.

* * *

Elena rode her new wave of victory all through first and second period, relishing the level of control she had felt, having Stefan at her mercy.

It had made her feel so good...so in control.

Just like she had felt when she realized she had managed to turn Damon on after their couch session.

Knowing she could affect him in that way had given her the courage to corner Stefan and to trust she could do the same to him.

After all, Damon had slept with girls leagues above her own, and if his body could still find interest in her, what chance did Stefan have?

Third period brought her to History, the class she shared with Stefan, and when she entered the room, he smiled at her from his desk.

It was lustful and secretive and she ate up the way his eyes never left her...at least not until Caroline entered the room as well.

Right. She was in this class too.

But Elena, who had been ignoring the blonde all week already, had no problem keeping up the charade, and watched Stefan from the corner of her eye to test his reaction.

He had noticed Caroline, that was a given, but he merely shook his head and dropped his gaze back to his homework.

It stayed there for several moments...before shifting to Elena again.

He gave her another warm smile, and she returned it.

* * *

A few moments later, when the teacher began to drone on with the daily lesson, Elena pulled out her phone and sent a short text.

_E: Lesson one was helpful ;)_

It took longer than usual for Damon to reply, not surprising since they were at school, but she waited with anticipation for her phone to light up.

When it did, she opened the message eagerly.

_D: So I've heard._

Elena blinked.

He had heard? What did that mean?

She started to ask him, but another text came through before she could.

This one from Caroline.

_C: Seriously? I thought Perfect Elena Gilbert was too pure for public indecency. And the boys locker room? Classy._

Chagrin filled her as she glared over her shoulder.

Caroline gave her a face that nullified any apologies she may have been making previously, leading Elena to believe that the blonde wasn't actually happy that she and Stefan had reunited.

But how the hell had she found out? Had Stefan told someone?

_E: About as classy as car sex with your best friend's boyfriend. At a keg party in the woods._

She shot the text back to Caroline just as another came in from Damon.

_D: Tyler Lockwood saw your frisk sesh this morning. I'd say nice work, but something tells me you didn't plan the voyeurism._

Ah, Elena sighed. So that's the how.

She probably should have locked the door behind her before she went to find Stefan, or at least made sure the coast was completely cleared, but hindsight did little to help her now.

_E: Who all knows?_

She was afraid of the answer, but it would be better to be prepared.

_D: It's Lockwood...so probably the whole football team._

Great.

_E: Which means the whole school._

She wished she was the kind of girl who could afford not to care about gossip.

But being from a Founding Family meant she was always open to social scrutiny.

Sure, a teenager getting handsy with her boyfriend was hardly the most risque thing to happen in the town, but people would still talk.

And if word spread too far, her parents were liable to hear it, and that was going to bring on a whole different list of problems.

More fighting, more blaming, more avoiding the actual issues of their marriage.

Not to mention the awkward doctor led sex talks that would follow, as well as the pressure to be ladylike and a reminder of the responsibilities on the respectable families of Mystic Falls, and how they were already on such tight schedules that they couldn't afford to have her going wild...blah blah blah.

The whole ordeal was better avoided if possible.

Another text came through, getting her attention.

_D: Too bad he didn't record it. You could have been famous. The Football player and the Cheerleader hooking up in the locker room. Sounds like the plot of every porno ever._

And just like that, the pressure valve released and Elena laughed to herself.

_E: I thought Sexy Professor and Naughty Student was the typical cliche? Though I suppose cheerleaders still score pretty high on the list. Bet it's the skirts._

A quick reply.

_D: It's definitely the skirts. And the flexibility._

She smirked again.

_E: Well, If it's ever produced, I'll give you a trainer's cut from the profit. Deal?_

The response came before she could refocus back on the teacher's Civil War lecture, but when she checked her phone, it was Caroline's name on the screen.

_C: So you're still pissed at me, but Stefan gets a free pass and a trip to third base? How the hell is that fair? I wasn't alone in that car, you know._

Elena rolled her eyes, but felt the jab prod at her brain.

Caroline wasn't entirely wrong...but what did it matter? It was her business who she chose to forgive or not forgive.

And unlike Caroline, Stefan did seem to feel sorry for what had happened.

Her phone lit up with another text.

_C: So what's the plan? Screw him into being a faithful boyfriend? If you were giving him anything worth having he wouldn't have wanted to hook up with me._

Okay. Ouch.

Elena swallowed as light was shone on one of her deeper insecurities.

She had never really discussed her sex life, or lack of it, with Caroline in detail, but maybe Stefan had?

Did he tell Caroline that Elena refused to sleep with him? That she was a clueless virgin that had no idea how to pleasure a guy?

Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes and Elena turned off her phone without responding.

What was she even supposed to say to that?

Especially when she feared it was the truth.

* * *

The rest of the class dragged and Elena was already halfway out of her seat when the bell rang.

She had felt sick to her stomach as Caroline's words replayed in her head, teasing at her self doubt until she was feeling pathetic.

So she had made her boyfriend put his hands down her pants...what_ did_ that prove exactly?

It had all seemed to make sense in the moment, but now it felt like a joke and she was the punchline.

And it was only a matter of time before word got all the way around the school…

She just couldn't deal with the speculative looks right now.

* * *

Deciding to ditch out of fourth period, Elena slipped into an empty Chem Lab down the hall from her English class.

It was only ever used on Mondays and Fridays, for the dual credit college classes, so it was a safe bet that no one would come looking for her there.

And for a while, no one did.

She leaned against one of the tall black topped tables, resting her head in her hands as she tried to figure out what the best thing to do would be.

Option one, keep trying to win Stefan over by playing on his desire and ignore Caroline's rude remarks.

Option two, dump Stefan and never speak to him or Caroline Forbes ever again.

Option three: Try to make it work with Stefan and try to salvage whatever was left of her friendship with Caroline by forgiving them both.

When her mind refused to come up with an option four, Elena cursed under her breath.

None of the choices she had offered herself felt right.

Maybe she should talk to her Mom; get a more mature perspective before burning any bridges.

But that would mean admitting that she had been cheated on, which felt like an admission of failure somehow.

And she already felt inadequate enough, trying to live up to the PHD's in her household, why pour salt on the wound?

Besides, her parents loved Stefan.

She groaned into her hands.

This was pointless.

* * *

As she wallowed with indecisiveness, Elena heard the door behind her slowly crack open.

She didn't bother to move.

Whoever it was would either call out to her, or go away.

When the door shut with a loud thump, she assumed the latter had happened.

Except then she heard footsteps, and a hand touched her arm.

Before she could turn around, a body pressed against hers, and that hand fell to her waist.

Lips brushed against her ear, "I hear you've been a bad girl, Miss Gilbert."

Elena shot her elbow backwards, catching a set of ribs, and her assaulter groaned.

"Serves you right," she smirked, and turned to see Damon recovering from her hit.

"And hello to you too," he jabbed.

She sighed, "I was hiding."

"I know. But I'm good at seeking; or did you forget about your eleventh birthday party?"

He looked good today, she noticed as he teased her.

His dark hair was falling forward, the bangs flirting with his brows, which were slightly arched as he looked at her.

Those crystal blue eyes were as consuming as ever and it took a moment before she thought to respond, "I'm not really in the mood to reminisce right now."

The devil's smile parted his lips, "Then tell me, what are you in the mood for?"

He drew out the words, his tone offering a few suggestions, and Elena put a hand against his chest, meaning to push him back a step.

Instead, she just stared at where her palm rested, the muscles beneath his black shirt going taut at the contact, before lifting her gaze to his.

"Caroline knows about this morning," she told him, moving her hand so that her fingertips tickled the lapels of his leather jacket, " I don't think she's very happy about it."

Damon frowned, "Why do you say that?"

Elena reached back to her pocket, pulled out her phone, and gave it to him, "Read the texts."

When he did, annoyance flickered across his face, "What a bitch."

Elena shrugged, "Yeah...but maybe she has a point. Maybe all of this is useless."

"Is it still what you want?" he asked slowly, but Elena wasn't entirely sure how to answer.

She didn't know what she wanted anymore.

Well...she knew one thing.

"Right now, I just want to disappear for awhile. I don't want to deal with Caroline, or Tyler and the rumors, or classes, or the future, or even Stefan."

Damon's gaze swept her face, and he nodded, "Alright, then come with me. We'll ditch out early and go get some coffee or ice cream to make you feel better, then I'll take you home."

She smiled lightly as he motioned to the door, "Keep this up and you might be able to start charging me for transportation."

"Send me some pictures of yourself in lingerie, and we'll call it even," he joked, and she rolled her eyes but played along, "Do you prefer lace or satin?"

Damon smirked as they entered the hallway, "I prefer nudes, but I know better than to press my luck."

Elena shook her head, but was unable to fight the smile that teased her lips.

Banter with Damon was so simple, it made letting go of everything else so much easier.

And right now, that was what she needed.

To let go.

* * *

**A little less DE sexy time in this chapter, but don't worry! It's coming. ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Update! And it comes with yummy yummy ;)**

* * *

"Just help yourself," Elena quipped, as Damon dropped down onto the queen mattress.

They had just gotten to her house after finishing some lattes from the cafe off the town square, and he was amused by the frilly room he'd stepped into.

Her bed was wide and soft, covered in pillows that cushioned his back as he sprawled out and put his hands behind his head to observe the surroundings.

"So...this is your room now, huh? It's quite different than I remember."

He had been in her house a few times in the past, thanks to Founder's Events and other social necessities, but hadn't been upstairs in years.

Let alone, in her bedroom.

It was nice, in a girly kind of way, with lots of pictures, clothes, and books scattered about the furniture.

"I was eight the last time you were in here," Elena rolled her eyes and pushed his feet off the edge of the bed, "I've redecorated since and I'd prefer your dirty boots not scuff up my footboard. Take them off if you're going to lay out."

Damon jumped on the chance to bait her, "I'm inside your bedroom not even five minutes and you are already trying to get me to strip? My, my, Elena. Someone should teach you patience."

"I know you don't mean yourself," she laughed as she crossed the room to stand before the large dresser/mirror combo there.

Her gaze caught his in the reflection, "Because for all of the endearing qualities you possess, I fear patience is not among them."

"You might be surprised," Damon insisted, yanking himself up as she bent over and he took a second to appreciate the view, "Sometimes the prospect of waiting, of drawing things out to build up an appetite, requires a _lot_ of patience."

He sauntered over to where she was now digging through one of her drawers, and pulled open another out of curiosity.

He smirked when he caught an eyeful of undergarments.

"Speaking of appetites," he grabbed a lacey red scrap, "Put these in the 'yes' pile."

Elena closed the drawer she had been sifting through and ripped the panties out of his hand.

"Ah ah ah. Keep your paws off," she chided, bumping him out of the way with her hip as she put the underwear back in its place.

Damon smirked, "You didn't say please."

"And I'm not going to," she started to brush past him but he caught her arm, "Care to test that resolve?"

Brown eyes flashed up to his face and a light pink colored her cheeks, "Damon...no."

He let go of her immediately.

"And here I thought you might be ready for your next lesson."

He caught the way her gaze shifted to the mirror before she shook her head, "No. Not now. Maybe not even...I don't know."

She was drawing into herself, and he hated it.

Where was the bold, feisty Elena that had texted him earlier that day?

"What's wrong?" he prodded with the lift of his chin.

She hesitated before answering, as if gathering her thoughts.

"What if this was all a bad idea?" she asked slowly.

"I like bad ideas."

That gaze was a glare now, "I'm serious, Damon. With everything that happened this morning...I'm starting to think that I may have rushed my decision."

"About?"

"About Stefan," she admitted, "About my arrangement with you. All of it. I've loved him half my life and I thought that was worth trying to save us...but what if Caroline was right?"

Damon's brows furrowed, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that Stefan chose her for a reason, right?" Elena threw up her hands, "She's fun and sexy and curvy and...and..._blonde_."

The adjective came out like an insult and Damon frowned.

"I'm never going to be all _that_," she concluded in a sad tone, "So maybe this is pointless."

* * *

Elena moved to sit on the edge of the bed and Damon followed her, "Hey. I know Caroline is-"

She waved him off, "Caroline is this mix of Sunshine Daisy, Starlet Prom Queen, and Barbie Doll. And I'm-"

"Different," he finished for her, "But that doesn't make you less."

She looked up at him and he was surprised to see that her eyes were wet, "Doesn't it?"

He scoffed in disbelief, "Elena...do you even hear yourself? Just because you don't look like Caroline Forbes doesn't mean that you don't have more than enough to offer."

Those doe eyes narrowed, "I never said I don't have anything to offer. Just that it doesn't matter, because Stefan-"

"Stop worrying about _Stefan_," Damon cut her off, "The world doesn't revolve around him and his opinion doesn't dictate the truth."

"What truth?" she challenged.

God, could she really not see it?

Damon drank in the shape of her, letting his gaze sexualize every part of Elena Gilbert at that moment.

He had been with numerous girls, of all shapes and bra sizes, but none of them had ever carried themselves the way Elena did.

Her innocent fire enthralled him.

She was sexy as hell with all her hidden desire, his for the undoing.

Her body was unexplored territory that was begging to be mapped, and she should never doubt its allure.

Stefan was a complete fucking moron.

A girl like Elena was one in a million, and you didn't just throw something like that away for some side piece that had screwed half the football team.

"What truth?" Elena repeated, calling his eyes back to her face.

Damon reached down and offered her a hand, which she took with some confusion.

When he had her standing again, his free hand found her jaw, fingers brushing her neck.

"That you are perfect," he said in a voice barely above a whisper, "Exactly the way you are."

The blush returned and Elena dropped her gaze, "I don't know about that."

Okay. Enough was enough.

He was going to show her exactly how exquisite she was, and then he was going to ravish her body until she believed him.

She was too beautiful to not see her own worth.

* * *

"Take off your pants," he ordered, and that sure got her attention.

Elena's eyes flared as they fixed on him and her mouth dropped open, "Excuse me?"

Damon grabbed her hips and turned her body so that her back was to his chest and they were both facing the mirror on the long dresser.

"Take off," He reached around her, heading for the metal button at the center of her waistband, "Your pants."

The button was undone and her mouth was still gapping, "Damon...I'm not going to just-"

His mouth dropped to her neck, effectively stopping her sentence as he nipped and sucked at her skin.

"Lesson two needs to happen now," he breathed against her shoulder, "I need to show you how perfect you are."

He felt her breath catch, then their eyes locked in the mirror.

Some understanding passed between them, and Elena relaxed, her body lolling into his as her arms extended down her torso to do as he had said.

When the denim was on the floor, Damon kicked it aside.

Then he ran his hands up her sides, taking her arms with him until they were outstretched into the air.

The blouse she had been wearing followed the pants, and Damon growled his appreciation at her deep blue bra and panties set.

They were innocent enough, sure, but on her body that soft cotton was the most attractive thing he'd ever seen.

He forced his eyes to hers in the mirror and let his hands fall to her hips, "Do you know what you look like right now?"

Elena shook her head, inhaling too shallowly to form words and he loved the heat in her gaze.

"Sin," he nuzzled against her temple, placing a kiss there, "Pure fucking sin."

Damon rubbed his palms over her hips, slipping forward with each circular motion, and her breathing hitched.

When his fingers slid against the barrier of her panties, Elena's eyes squeezed shut.

"No, no, baby," he coaxed, withdrawing his hand, "Open your eyes. You're going to watch me."

* * *

Elena couldn't have protested, even if she wanted to, and she certainly didn't want to.

Damon's voice had taken on that thick gravel she was learning to associate with his arousal, and it ripped away her defenses and stirred a deep warmth in her stomach.

She opened her eyes and his hands resumed their stroking over her hips, her ribs, and down her abdomen; those long fingers of his tracing her curves at an aching pace.

Then he began kissing her neck again, and the sight of his dark hair tucked beneath her jaw made her weak in the knees.

She sank back against him, trusting his sturdy presence to keep her upright.

"Look in the mirror," he reminded her with a light nip to her earlobe, "And watch us."

The command was irrefutable and she was already so entranced by the show, she doubted she could have torn her gaze from it anyway.

Damon continued to kiss her neck, then her shoulder, his tongue joining his lips as he lavished her flesh, tasting her and biting along the most sensitive areas as his hands started moving again.

There was nothing rushed about his exploration, much to her slight frustration, and she wiggled her hips, encouraging him along, but Damon refused to be hurried.

His touch was calm and reverent and she felt worshiped beneath his mouth.

And when his hand finally did slide past the elastic lining of her underwear, her head fell back and a moan escaped her.

But her eyes never left their reflection as he pleasured her.

It was the most erotic thing she had ever seen.

* * *

Damon stilled his motions as Elena's body tightened against him.

She let out a little whine in protest when his hand pulled away from her center before she had climaxed, but he still had a point to prove.

"Look at how beautiful you are," he said in a voice that was heavy with lust, "Especially like this."

And God, it was true.

Elena's eyes met his in the mirror before they refocused on her own body, and his followed.

She was flushed all over, breathing deeply so that her chest lifted and fell, drawing attention to those perked nipples beneath the thin fabric of her bra.

Her lips were pursed and wet from her tongue, and those brown eyes were glazed with desire.

She looked like sex and temptation and perfection.

* * *

When her mouth parted in a tiny smile of acceptance, Damon turned her to face him.

He wanted to say more; about how incredibly sexy he found her, about how the sight of her like this made his heart race in his chest, and how his brother didn't deserve her if he was stupid enough to let all of this get away.

But before he could say a word, their gazes locked and that now familiar spark leapt between them, nearly crackling the air with its intensity.

There was no pause to consider stopping what was about to happen.

In a flash, Elena was pressed against him, or maybe he was pressed against her, and their lips found one another; searching, tasting, devouring.

Damon's hands slid down her sides, reveling in how smooth her skin felt against his fingertips, until her ass was in his palms.

He squeezed her curves as her arms wrapped around his neck and those delicate fingers tangled in his hair with a deliciously desperate grip.

He felt the simmer of his need rage into something much hotter, and when she bit down on his bottom lip, it was too much.

He was losing control; losing himself to the feel of her, and there was nothing to stop him from throwing her onto the bed and ripping off what remained of her clothes so he could show her exactly how affected he was by her.

Fuck...he had to slow this down.

"Elena," he tried, forcing himself to loosen his grip on her, bringing his hands up to her back, hoping the neutral territory would bring some common sense.

It didn't.

"Shhh, no talking," she ended his pathetic excuse at an objection by leaning impossibly closer and locking his lips firmly to her own.

Damon moaned against her mouth, and her hands slipped beneath his jacket, pushing the leather off of his shoulders until it hit the floor with a thud.

Then the back of his legs were somehow against her bed, and he fell back, bringing Elena with him.

Without gravity as a hindrance, their bodies came together completely, every line and curve molding so damn perfectly that he knew it would never be the same with anyone else.

The thought drew him short, and for the briefest of moments, he did pause.

Elena wasn't like anyone he had ever had before…

Maybe it was because of her innocence, or because of how close they had grown up, or because he actually respected her as a person and not just a temporary means for pleasure...

He _cared_ about her.

That was what was different.

And the fact that he was allowing himself to get this intimate with a girl he admittedly had a soft spot for should terrify him.

But it didn't.

Because Elena was pushing her tongue past his lips and the taste of her was all consuming and his body tucked those other thoughts away before he could over analyze them.

* * *

He couldn't help taking more from her, as his head got back in the game.

He kissed her deeply, until his lips began to explore further around her mouth, her jaw, down her neck and to the swell of her breasts…

Her back arched as his tongue lapped against the cotton covering those perfect tits, and he could feel her nipple growing harder beneath his ministrations.

Moving the fabric out of the way so he could really suckle at her would have been ideal, but Damon knew exactly how thin his self restraint was running, and the slight barrier helped make up for what his control lacked.

He wasn't some awkward virgin who was frisking his girlfriend for the first time, and he refused to embarrass himself by letting desperation take over.

Sometimes patience was required for pleasure.

Except then Elena was rubbing against him, her hips sliding over his where she straddled his waist and her little mews of satisfaction at the friction were almost his undoing.

He was dying from these covered half touches and was certain that he had never been this hard before in his life.

Elena had to be aware of what she was doing to him; it's not like the thing was hiding as she ground against its length through his jeans, and he cursed.

If clothed restraint felt this good, how incredible would her actual wet heat be around his cock?

Damn him, he needed more of her.

* * *

Elena felt as if she were having some sort of outer body experience as Damon's lips found hers again.

Kissing Stefan had never felt like this...nothing had ever felt like this before.

But her brain pushed the comparisons away and became completely detached from her actions, content to shut down so she could focus solely on the physical sensations coursing through her.

Damon's fingers, which had been digging into her waist, encouraging the rocking of her hips against his, slid around her body.

She felt her panties tug as one of his hands pushed under the fabric, and then the warmth of his palm was spanning over her ass cheek.

He dipped further, and she gasped into his mouth as Damon's entire hand cupped her bare core.

He returned the groan as he felt how wet she was, then pushed two fingers inside of her.

The stretch was new and foriegn, but she was turned on enough that it caused no discomfort.

Her body moved of its own accord then, her hips rolling back and forth, until she was riding his hand as though it were the erection throbbing beneath her.

God, this was incredible; Damon drawing pleasure from her mouth and core, and she was climbing so quickly to that edge he had first shown her.

They seemed to be touching everywhere; gliding, rubbing, and pressing in all the right places, increasing the curling pit in her stomach to something aching and hot.

"Fuck," Damon groaned against her mouth and that deep purr was the trigger she needed to find her release.

His hips thrusted that straining erection against her core as she rode out the waves of her orgasm on his fingers, and any noises of pleasure she made were swallowed by their kiss.

When she collapsed against his chest, he withdrew from her, and both of their bodies fell slack.

For a moment, neither of them moved save for labored breathing.

Damon's pec rose and fell beneath her cheek and the quickened beat of his heart seemed to pound against her ear.

Then all too soon, he was pulling away, untangling her from his body so he could slide out from beneath her, much to Elena's disappointment.

"Just a little longer," she pouted, tightening her hold on him so he couldn't completely disengage from the embrace they were wrapped in, "I'm not ready to move."

His body was still straining away from her, his gaze on the floor where his jacket was discarded, "Elena, I can't...I have to get up. Now."

"Why?" she demanded, not wanting reality to burst this little bubble just yet, but his tone was disheartening.

"Because this is torture," Damon grit through his teeth, but at least he looked at her.

She was taken aback by the hunger in his eyes and he chuckled at her shocked expression.

"You really don't get it?" he teased, then grabbed her hand and brought it forward, until it was pressed against his crotch, "I'm hard as a fucking rock for you. And if I stay here like this, I'll either end up coming in my pants like a prepubescent tween, or worse," those blue eyes darkened, "I'll end up inside you, which you've explicitly mentioned you did not want, but let's be honest, right now you would let me. And tomorrow you would hate me for it. And we both deserve better than that. So yeah...I need to get up."

Elena's brain was swarming with his words, wanting to both admit and deny his claims, and not sure which one it was that was true or false.

Mostly, she was just amazed that she had such an effect on him.

He was Damon Salvatore, after all, and knowing how much he wanted her was even more of a turn on than grinding in his lap had been.

Perhaps their lessons needed to venture a bit further?

* * *

With a hard yank, Elena pulled Damon back down onto the bed and had pushed herself between his legs in the same motion.

Her hands seemed to move of their own accord as they reached forward for the button and zipper on his pants.

Their gazes held and she couldn't help but giggle when his eyes flared.

"Elena," he said her name almost warningly as she slipped her hand into the space she'd revealed, "What are you- holy fuck."

His head fell back as she pushed through the gap in his boxers and took the straining girth of him in her hands.

Her fingers wrapped around the hard length and stroked once experimentally.

Damon's hips swiveled up, as if trying to follow the friction and her mouth went dry at the sight of his pleasure.

She stroked him again, and he cursed.

"Elena, stop," the command was more of a guttural plea, which made her frown.

"What did I do wrong?"

Damon laughed, almost to himself and his hand reached down to grab her wrist, pulling her off of him as he sat up, "Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"Then why did you stop me?" she demanded, removing herself from his grip, "Shouldn't this be the next lesson anyway?"

Damon shook his head, "Not today. I'm too...I won't last long enough. Besides, today's lesson was about you and how beautiful you are. No need to detract from that just yet by hurrying the education, right?"

Elena sighed, but conceded to his point.

After all, it wasn't like they wouldn't have more opportunities for exploration in the future.

When Elena's head gave a little nod, Damon let out a slow breath.

His brain felt relief, but everything below the belt was mentally kicking him for the denial of what it wanted.

Which was the girl sitting across from him, who had been all too willing to comply with his desire.

However, despite how much those soft fingers had electrified him with their touch, Damon knew he had to space out these little moments.

Something about Elena had gotten under his skin and while he wanted nothing more than to get under hers, he knew exactly what would happen when he succeeded.

Right now, she was using him, just as he had started out using her.

And the moment he served his purpose in helping her through her insecurities, she would deem herself ready for Stefan and their already too short time together would end.

And he wasn't ready for that.

So he would wait, drawing out each lesson until he had quenched this new thirst of his for Elena Gilbert.

* * *

A hand on his arm pulled his attention from his thoughts and back to those flawless chocolate eyes.

A delicate smile teased at her lips.

"You can go take care of that if you need," she told him with an amused glance down at his still obvious hard-on, "My bathroom is right over there."

He took her up on her offer, after a promise that she would be waiting for him on the other side of the door when he had finished, and his dick was all too pleased to finally be getting some kind of attention.

And for some reason, knowing that Elena was so close as he pulled himself out to continue the strokes she had started, was enough to get him off faster than any self pleasuring before. He came hard with her name heaved from his lips in a whisper.

* * *

***insert fire emoji here***


	5. Chapter 5

**Glad ya'll seemed to like the last chapter lol**

**More of that to come, but this chapter is a little more angsty ;)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"TIMBERWOLF FANS OUT IN THE STANDS,

STAND UP AND CLAP YOUR HANDS!

V-I-C-T-O-R-Y,

THAT'S OUR TIMBERWOLF BATTLE CRY!"

Elena yelled out the words to the cheer along with the rest of her squad, and forced a grin as the crowd in the bleachers screamed back at the top of their lungs.

"V-I-C-T-O-R-Y,

THAT'S OUR TIMBERWOLF BATTLE CRY!"

The repeated chant soon gave way to more excited whoops and hollers of actual victory, as the Mystic Falls Timberwolves scored yet another touchdown, and Elena waved her pom poms in the air as she joined the shouts with a few of her own.

To anyone watching, she would have seemed genuine in her elation, cheering the home team to a sure win, but inside, she just wanted the night to be over with.

Usually, Elena enjoyed everything about Friday night football; the routines, the game, the uniform, the fun of hyping up the fans from the sidelines...but things had been different since last week's incident.

Cheer practice had been a special kind of hell this week, since Caroline was team captain and the two were still at odds, but that would have been bearable, if not for the fact that the blonde kept making snide comments under her breath every time Elena was nearby.

Truthfully, she wasn't even sure why they were still giving each other the cold shoulder, seeing that she had decided to move on from the drama of last Friday night.

The decision had come to her Wednesday afternoon, a few hours after Damon had left to go home, and her parents were due for arrival.

* * *

Grayson and Miranda Gilbert were brilliant in their medical fields and expected no less than perfection from their only child, so their return home had brought with it an expected pressure that was almost nonexistent in their absence.

Elena had prepared for the usual run of the mill "welcome home" greetings, followed by questions of her activities during their week away.

She had prepped and practiced answers for any questions they might have, and there hadn't been a single hair or couch cushion out of place when the front door unlocked and her parents crossed the threshold.

However, it would seem that all of her stressing and preparations were unnecessary.

She had paused halfway down the stairs, her smile fading as Miranda and Grayson's voices had traveled up.

"This is what I am talking about Grayson! We're not even across town borders and she's calling you! How do you think that looks?"

"Miranda, I've told you-" her father's tired voice was cut off.

"No, you push me away with all of your excuses about work and patients and log hours, like I don't understand exactly what the job entails! And yet, I still manage to make time for our family! And if you would rather have an affair some twenty-something receptionist, well then you-"

Some racket echoed as, Elena assumed, suitcases here dropped in the foyer, "An affair? Really, Miranda? It was a brief online correspondence! And it's not as if you are putting a lot of effort into family time, either! Or need I remind you of the three times I had to reschedule our skiing trip to Aspen, which we still haven't taken!"

An indignant gasp, "Oh, will you let that go already?! I told you, the timing was just awful! It doesn't give you the right to…"

There was probably more said, but Elena had decided she'd heard enough and had disappeared back upstairs for the next half hour, when her mother had finally come up to announce that they were home.

Elena had smiled, hugged her, and pretended that she hadn't been eavesdropping.

A lot of tense silence had followed the incident, all the way into dinner, which had been delivered from the Grill.

"How was your week, dear?" Miranda had asked, as everyone sat down at the dining room table.

The expected question put a sour taste in Elena's mouth as she noticed her parents were avoiding each other's gazes.

"Fine," she said carefully, "Is everything alright with-"

"How were your classes? You mentioned that you had an Literature paper due," her mother interrupted, a subtle reminder to Elena that the taboo need never be mentioned, "How did it turn out?"

More questions burned on her tongue.

What had happened at the conference?

Had her father really been talking to another woman?

How long was the silent treatment going to last this time?

But all of these things were against the unspoken rule of the Gilbert house, in which everyone always pretended everything was fine, even if it wasn't.

So Elena talked about school.

She went on about her course work, and homework, and extra curriculars, and even mentioned that she had been tutoring upperclassmen, before she reached the inevitable boyfriend questions.

"Actually, Stefan and I are...taking a break, for the time being," she mentioned as casually as possible.

This had gotten both of her parents' attention in a way the discussion of her academics had not.

"Whatever for?" Miranda prodded with a disapproving frown, "His father is on the Board of Committees, you know. I don't think it's wise that you-"

"What your mother means," Grayson sliced in with a pointed look to his wife, "Is that Stefan is from a fine family, he's a smart boy, and the two of you have always gotten along well together."

"Precisely," Miranda allowed begrudgingly, "Why would you want to ruin that?"

Elena was tempted to tell them exactly what had happened in their absence, but knew that admitting to being at a kegger in the woods wouldn't win her any points.

"Things have changed between us," she said instead, being purposely vague, "We haven't made the break official or anything, but I'm beginning to feel like we're moving in that direction."

Her father had remained silent in response, merely acknowledging that she had spoken with a wave of his fork, but Miranda had a little more input.

"Well, that is the great thing about directions, isn't it? You can always change them back to the right path."

"Maybe I don't want to," Elena challenged, before thinking.

Miranda had paused, almost in surprise, then shook her head, "Stefan Salvatore is a good match for you, sweetheart. He's polite and modest, and a perfect gentleman. Two weeks ago you were raving about going to the Homecoming Dance with him. Whatever the issue is, I'm sure the two of you will work it out."

And with a sip of her wine, the discussion moved on to the conference, and the changes at the hospital, and this patient, and that nurse, ignoring the obvious elephant in the room...and Elena ate her dinner in silence like the perfect daughter she was.

The perfect daughter with the perfect boyfriend who had perfect grades and knew better than to tarnish that image with wild ideas like messy break ups, and dramatic admissions, like how said boyfriend wasn't as perfect as everyone wanted to believe.

In fact, nothing really was, but it didn't matter and she knew it.

Her parents loved her, of that she had no doubt, but it was arguable that they loved her more when she was the non problematic picture of propriety.

So that's exactly what she had decided to give them and everyone else, by reconciling with Stefan, ignoring thoughts of another Salvatore, and putting on a pretty smile for the crowd as she cheered for the football team.

The perfect picture.

But there was one problem…

* * *

"So were you as miserable out there as you looked?" Damon was waiting to tease her when she stepped off the field after the game.

He was in his typical dark jeans/leather jacket combo, leaning against the fence, and those smirking lips completed the devil-may-care vibe he had going on, "Or is that sour face some new cheer tactic I haven't heard of?"

Elena shouldn't have been surprised that he had seen right through her facade; he always had read her like an open book.

"I wasn't miserable," she defended despite that fact, "It's just cold, and I'm sore from practice."

"Right," Damon followed her through the departing crowd, and she rolled her eyes, "What are you doing here, anyway? I thought you hated football games."

"I prefer the after parties to the games themselves," he admitted, "But I wanted to see you."

That shouldn't make her chest flutter, but it did, and she stopped to look at him, "Why?"

Damon glanced around, then took her arm and pulled her off to the side, in the shadows almost beneath the bleachers.

"I thought you had decided to cut your losses," he said when they had more privacy, and motioned toward the locker rooms where the football players had ran off to change, "Yet Stefan was telling me this morning that the two of you are working things out?"

Elena shrugged, "Yeah, I guess."

"You guess?" he prodded, taking a step closer to her, "What happened to not rushing your decision?"

The condescending tone riled her in an unexpected way, and Elena stiffened.

She had had enough judgement for one week and didn't have to take more from Damon fricken Salvatore, who was the last person with the right to judge anyone!

"I'm sorry," she snapped, "I completely missed the part of this conversation where I asked for your opinion."

She turned away, but Damon tightened his grip on her arm.

"Don't be mean to me because I'm calling you out," he chided, "You wanted my help getting Stefan's attention, and then you aren't sure what you want, and now you won't even text me back? What's that about?"

"Why does it matter?" She yanked her arm out of his hold, "And what do you care? God, it's not like you're my boyfriend!"

The easygoing expression left his face then and he moved so that their chests were almost touching.

"No, I'm your _friend_," he reminded her in a burning tone, "Who's concerned about the one-eighty you pulled in just forty-eight hours."

Elena bit her lip and tried to look away from that piercing gaze, but Damon was having none of it.

Gently, he reached up and touched her jaw, forcing her head forward until her eyes met his.

"Talk to me," he said softly as his fingertips brushed down her neck, until his palm came to rest on her shoulder.

She tried to resist the prodding of his gaze, but as it often did with Damon, her resolve crumbled beneath his touch, "Mom and Dad are home."

Damon arched a brow, but didn't comment.

She sighed, "I told Mom that Stefan and I were sort of taking a break. She didn't like that."

"So?"

Elena shook her head, "So...she and my dad work hard and they have a lot going on. The last thing they need to worry about is me making changes that involve other Founding Family members and messing up the respectable reputations they've built."

Damon scoffed, "Right. And I'm sure your mother's preference for Stefan has nothing to do with the fact that my father owns half the town and donates to the hospital regularly?"

The look she gave him was reprimanding, but there was truth in the statement that she didn't bother denying.

"She isn't a fan of change," Elena explained instead, then added bitterly, "And she doesn't want the pretty picture ruined."

"Meaning?" he challenged.

"That Stefan and I look good on paper," she laughed dryly, "We're the Mystic Falls IT couple, remember? Founding Family legacies. We're both interning with my father this summer as Ivy League prospects, so we can eventually graduate medical school together and have the perfect little life. We're the American dream. The football star and the cheerleader," she sighed deeply, "Telling my mother I'm dumping him because he cheated on me would be the equivalent of detonating a bomb on the perfect map she has drawn for my life, and she has enough of her own problems to deal with."

* * *

Ah, and that was it. The curse of the privileged.

Damon could hardly fault Elena for the method of self preservation when it came to dealing with her parents.

In Mystic Falls, being born to a Founding Family was akin to being royalty.

There were perks, such as getting chosen for committees, projects, and internships over more qualified students, or not getting expelled or arrested if you caused a little trouble.

You could skip class and still pass, get beer from the Grill without being carded, and there was a certain level of security in knowing that everyone would bend any rule for you and open any door, simply because of your last name.

However, the drawback came in the expectations.

The public scrutiny.

That if you fucked up badly enough, it would reflect poorly not just on you, but on your entire bloodline.

Damon had quit caring about the rumor mill after his mother had left them, but for someone like Elena, whose parents were particularly favored in the social order, image was everything.

And that was such _bullshit_.

* * *

"You're going to stay in a situation you're unhappy with just to save face?" he accused with a frown, "Way to stick to generational tradition."

Elena dropped her head back so that her face was pointed skyward, and she flinched as if he had slapped her.

"This isn't the same thing. Mistakes were made, but they can be rectified," she pointed out after a breath, "And it's not exactly like being with Stefan is a chore."

Now Damon was the one laughing, "Right. Because who doesn't want a self absorbed golden boy that does nothing but rave about athletic achievements and makes you feel inadequate because he's too busy panting over your best friend to care about your desires?"

Elena scowled and shoved at his chest until he stumbled back a step, "You're an ass."

"Oooh," he mocked as he regained balance, "Better be careful. Someone important might hear you using a curse word. Wouldn't want to tarnish your image."

"Shut up," she growled at him.

"Why?" he pressed, "Afraid I might be right? I am and we both know it. And trying to impress the town council or your parents isn't worth living a lie. Stefan doesn't make you happy and he hasn't for some time. You just don't want to admit it to yourself."

Anger boiled in Elena's eyes, causing a flush through her face as her lip curled, "You know, that's rich! Coming from a guy whose idea of a "relationship" is a quick hook up in a supply closet during a school assembly."

Damon narrowed his gaze and she smirked humorlessly, "Rebekah's on the squad, remember? We heard all about your five minute fumble."

The insult was implied with an air of superiority, but Elena was mistaken if she thought he was embarrassed by her retort.

"Five minutes was all it took for me to make her cum," he said heatedly, "I work fast...as I'm sure you recall."

He touched her waist, sliding over the skin revealed by her uniform, and Elena shivered, before slapping his hand.

"Stop it!" she hissed, her eyes darting around as she remembered they were in public, and her voice lowered, "You can't touch me like that."

"Why not?" he challenged back, "It's not like I haven't already."

"This...this is different," she all but whispered, a real blush on her cheeks now.

Damon smirked, "Because someone might get the wrong idea? Or worse, because Stefan might see? I mean, he did fuck your best friend though, so it's tid for tad, don't you think?"

Elena's eyes widened, before glancing around again to make sure no one had overheard.

When she refocused on him, tears were threatening to well, "Why are you being like this?"

The biting edge was gone from her voice, and the rawness left drew him up short.

Why _was_ he being like this?

Because he was annoyed about her willingness to sweep everything under the rug?

To ignore what she really wanted, and what she needed, just because it was easier for the rest of the town to swallow?

Truthfully, it was her life and her choice to make...so why did he feel like he was the one being cheated?

How the fuck did that make any sense?

"I...I don't know. I'm sorry," he told her, and he tried to mean it.

He hadn't intended to lash out at her, and wasn't entirely sure why he was so bothered.

Something about this girl riled him in the worst of ways and it was beginning to really grate on him.

And her too, apparently, if the hand that had found her hip was any indication of her mood.

Fuck, she looked too good like this, all heated and pissed at him.

Damon shook his head, trying to clear it, "I didn't mean to upset you."

That seemed to help douse her a little, and her gaze softened.

Then she reached over and took his hand, "Look Damon, I know you're just trying to be a good friend, but-"

Her words were cut off with the arrival of reality.

* * *

"Babe, hey! Did you see that toss I made from the thirty yard?" Stefan had found them and was still hyped from the game, "Perfect spiral! I can't believe Matt didn't catch it!"

Elena let go of Damon's hand like it had burned her and that practiced smile parted her lips as she turned toward his brother, "Oh. Yeah, I saw."

Stefan threw an arm around her, "He promised an apology beer and a round of pool at the Grill. Did you want to come?"

Her eyes flickered over to Damon in hesitance, and Stefan took notice.

"Oh, Damon. I didn't know you were going to be here tonight," he acknowledged his presence with a grin, "Did you even watch the game or were you busy here under the bleachers?"

Damon grit his teeth, and gave a smile as fake as Elena's, "I managed to keep myself entertained. You know how I have a soft spot for cheerleaders."

Elena glared at him, but Stefan merely chuckled, ignoring the look that passed between them.

_Has he always been this unobservant?_ Damon couldn't help but wonder.

"Well, we're going to the Grill, if you weren't too busy to tag along," Stefan offered, obviously referring to Elena and himself, despite the fact that the girl in question hadn't actually agreed to go.

But why would she say no? It was the perfect chance to keep up this game of charades she was playing.

"Rain check," he answered, and noticed the relief that crossed Elena's expression.

Wasn't that just a kick to the gut.

"If you insist," Stefan shrugged, then turned to face his girlfriend, "I have my car, so I'll meet you there?"

Elena fake smiled again, "Sure."

Then Stefan kissed her and Damon got whiplash from the emotions that burrowed through him at the painfully familiar sight.

Shock. Disappointment. Hurt. Rage.

The anger surprised him the most with its intensity and he was overcome with the need to lay his brother out in a solid punch.

Now that he knew first hand the tantalizing warmth of Elena's sweet mouth, seeing it pressed against someone else stirred feelings in him he didn't want to acknowledge.

Especially considering Stefan didn't deserve, or appreciate, what her lips were capable of.

It wasn't fair.

How dare he show up now, of all times, playing the good boyfriend, after everything he had done, or hadn't done, to the contrary!

How dare he kiss Elena like he had earned the right to?

Wasn't Caroline or some other willing bimbo around for him to occupy his time with?

Why couldn't he just leave Elena the hell alone?

* * *

It took a few seconds and a clenched fist for Damon to regain control of his thoughts, and by then Stefan was pulling away and saying goodbye to them.

Damon nodded in response, but didn't trust himself to speak.

He looked at Elena, focusing on her eyes, which were following Stefan's retreat, and his chest tightened.

She was becoming a bad habit that he needed to quit.

Now.

She was his brother's girl, and he needed to let her go be with Stefan.

She wanted to be with Stefan; had tried to learn sex tips from him to please Stefan.

It was only a matter of time before she would be in Stefan's bed; she would lose her virginity...to Stefan.

The thought made him sick to his stomach; that his unfaithful, douche of a brother was going ruin the entire experience for her with rushed, horny, hands and an impatient hard-on that cared nothing for her pleasure or comfort.

But Elena didn't seem to care.

That had always been the endgame for her...it was always _Stefan_.

* * *

"Damon-" her voice was small in the aftermath and he flinched.

"It's okay," he told her, and the lie didn't even sting as it came off his tongue, "You should go."

"Yeah…" the hesitation was obvious and that gaze of hers raked all over him, studying, questioning.

He forced that smile again, "We're good, Gilbert. I'm just in a mood tonight. Probably from a lack of getting laid. I'll find a quick fix later and be good as new by morning."

The compassion in her gaze vanished at his crastness and she shook her head, "Well, I hope you have fun with that."

"Oh, I plan to," he assured her, keeping the smirk in place until she exhaled with a huff and walked away from him.

And it wasn't until her back was turned that he let the smile falter.

* * *

**Let me know what you thought! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**I think a lot of you will like this chapter ;)**

* * *

The red head with the long, pale legs.

No, the busty blonde who's uniform showed a little more skin than her squadmates.

Maybe the petite little flyer who looked as if she weighed eighty pounds.

It wasn't exactly like Damon was preferential to a certain type of girl, so surely anyone hot and willing would work for him, though she did find it easier to imagine him hooking up with a cheerleader from the opposing team.

Girls she already viewed as rivals.

But...why did it even matter?

Elena chided herself, once again, for letting her mind wander into topics that she had specifically forbidden her brain from thinking about.

Like how Damon was probably running skilled fingers up another girl's skirt right now, and letting her touch him in return; if they weren't already getting down to business.

"_I work fast, as I'm sure you recall._"

Damn him and that gravely tone that never failed to linger in her brain.

And she wouldn't soon be forgetting the way he looked at her either, all tense and heated from more than anger.

It shamed her that, in the brief moment his hand had touched the bare skin of her stomach, fire had coiled in her belly and she had wanted to-

_No!_

Elena shook her head and forced her thoughts away from dangerous territory.

God, what had gotten into her?!

She had already made her choice...to be here, with Stefan, and not thinking about what, or who, Damon was doing.

It was none of her business and honestly, she didn't care.

She really didn't.

At all.

In fact, it was a _good _thing that he was getting his needs met tonight, because then the tension between the two of them might ease, which would be best for future lessons, when they-

Wait...no...what was she thinking? There would be no future lessons.

She was with Stefan and he desired her.

Mission accomplished.

It was what she had wanted.

Her gaze flickered over from the tall table she was occupying, to the next pool game being set up.

Stefan was there, leaning over the green velvet, joking with Tyler Lockwood about being a sore loser.

He had been perfectly polite all night, even if the only thing they'd talked about was whose butt he was currently kicking.

They were having _fun_.

She smiled in encouragement and sipped on her drink as he played "just one more game" for the third time.

But it was fine...they were good...this was good.

Her smile faltered as Stefan's attention refocused on the cue ball and the tips of her fingers itched as she fought the urge to pick up her phone.

God, she needed to let this go already!

The person she wanted to text was the last person she should be talking to, or thinking about right now.

She had Stefan...she was happy...everything was right again.

Everything except for Damon's voice, still echoing in her head.

"_Trying to impress the town council or your parents isn't worth living a lie. Stefan doesn't make you happy and he hasn't for some time. You just don't want to admit it to yourself_."

Oh, what did he know?

She and Stefan had things to work through, but they could be happy…

They _are_ happy.

Very, very hap-

* * *

Tears pricked her eyes and the pit in Elena's stomach dropped as she realized the lie she was reiterating was the same one her parents fronted for the town.

Smiles. Laughs. Perfection.

It was all an act; an illusion.

She looked around the crowded restaurant before resettling back on the billiards.

On her boyfriend.

Stefan's blonde hair shimmered under the pool table's overhanging light and his victorious smile showed off those pointed teeth that had been so endearing back in middle school.

And she felt nothing.

The same nothing she had felt when he had kissed her earlier, despite what she wanted to tell herself...how much she had begged her brain to react, to give her something, anything, to work with.

And more nothing.

The complete opposite of what she felt when she was with-

With a thick swallow, Elena stood up and adjusted her uniform.

Sitting there, pining over ridiculous impossibilities wasn't going to make her feel any better.

She needed to go home, do homework, or find some other way to occupy herself.

* * *

When all was in place, she cut across the small space between herself and the games being played, and grabbed Stefan's attention.

"I think I'm gonna head out," she told him with a forced half smile.

Stefan frowned, looked back at the guys, then at her again, "This isn't much fun for you, is it?"

She shrugged in a noncommittal way, "It's just getting kinda late."

He hesitated, glanced back at the game one more time, then asked, "Well, what if we got out of here? You and me?"

Elena was genuinely surprised by the offer.

"Uh...sure. What did you have in mind?"

He flashed a quick smile, then yelled over to the guys that he was taking off and would message them later.

Then his hand was in hers, leading her across the restaurant, which was actually away from the front door.

"You know, the exit is that way," she teased, pointing a thumb over her shoulder.

She barely caught his reply over the buzz of conversation from the other patrons, but it sounded like "Out back".

Sure enough, there was an exit door by the kitchens that opened into the alleyway behind the Grill.

It was dark and cool outside, which felt nice against her skin.

"It was getting kind of crowded in there," Stefan reasoned, helping her down the few short stairs to the walkway.

"A little," she admitted, and exhaled, "So, where were you wanting to-"

Her sentence was interrupted as Stefan leaned down and kissed her, surprising her for a second time.

He used her stunned hesitance to lead her backwards, until she made contact with the brick wall of the building.

Her brain finally got on board, just in time for Stefan's tongue to slip past her lips and she kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He made a noise of satisfaction and pressed harder into her body, trapping her between him and the wall.

His hands gripped her waist, his fingers caressing the bare skin of her stomach that had peeked from beneath her cheer top, but...something wasn't right.

There was just no heat. No aching desire.

And the kiss felt all wrong. Rushed, not teasing. Demanding, not tempting.

She squeezed her eyes shut and surged forward, kissing Stefan with everything she had.

He responded eagerly, and hell, she could feel that he wanted her.

But it didn't matter how hard she tried to force her body to respond...it just wouldn't.

"You're so fucking hot, babe," he muttered, breaking the kiss to take a breath.

_Look at how beautiful you are_, another voice echoed in her head.

His mouth dropped to her neck and he lifted her into his arms.

Elena wrapped her legs around his waist, felt his erection against her, and could only focus on the rough rub of the brick wall on the back of her arm.

Why was it that she felt so cold now, when earlier a simple graze from Damon's fingertips-

Oh god.

She thought of Damon's hands on her, of the way she had thrusted back on his fingers until she'd orgasmed, of his teeth grazing her bottom lip, those sinful blue eyes on her in the mirror as he told her to watch as he touched her…

Her panties soaked through as a wave of heat blasted from her core so unexpectedly, she convulsed.

* * *

"No," she bit out, pulling as far away from Stefan as she could, "No, stop! Put me down."

He leaned back, confused, but she didn't want to answer him, and she didn't want him touching her for another second, "Put me down!"

To his credit, he immediately let her go, and like a cornered dog, she jumped away from the wall and put some open air between them.

"Elena? What's wrong? Did I do something?"

Taking a few settling breaths, she shook her head, "It's..it's not you."

_It's not you._

Ha. How right that was.

It wasn't him.

She didn't want _him_.

"I can't," she tried to verbalize her chaotic thoughts, "We can't. It's just too much, too fast."

Stefan shook his head, apparently trying to get some blood back into it, "I, uh...yeah, okay. That's okay."

He let out a huff of air, "Well, um, did you want to go somewhere else, or...we could go back inside and get something to eat, and-"

"No, that's okay," she brushed off the offer, "I think I really am just going to go home. Mom will probably be waiting up for me, and I'm really tired."

She had a list of excuses.

He bought them, "Oh. Okay. I'll just, uh, go back inside then. Probably play a few more games with the guys."

Elena nodded, "Sounds good."

"Text me when you get home?"

She agreed, and that was their goodbye.

Somehow, walking away felt different this time.

* * *

It didn't take long to get to her car, and sitting in the parking lot for a moment, Elena formulated a short term plan.

Go home, run a hot bubble bath, and seriously consider her life choices.

It was good, in theory.

However, when she got to her place and walked through the front door, the house was hauntingly quiet.

After stepping into the foyer and setting her keys on the vanity, she took a look around.

The familiar silence should have been comforting, as it meant that her father was probably at work.

Miranda wasn't due to return back until Monday, but Grayson of course, had wasted no time in getting back to routine.

Which wasn't a surprise, because he spent almost every day at the hospital anyway, whether he was needed there or not.

Elena knew that work was a form of distraction for her father, and most of the time, she didn't even blame him.

You didn't have to keep up the illusion of a perfect life if you focused on bettering everyone else's.

And at least she wouldn't have to worry about hearing more arguing tonight.

"Mom?" she called out, making her way through the foyer and into the living room.

Miranda wasn't there, but a half empty glass of wine was on the side table, next to a completely emptied bottle.

Elena, who knew just how much of a clean neatfreak her mother was, saw this indiscretion for exactly what it was meant to be.

A tool to get a rise out of Grayson whenever he finally managed to get home, giving them yet another topic to fight about.

With a sigh, she walked over and grabbed both objects, then headed for the kitchen.

She threw the bottle away, and poured the rest of the glass out into the sink, before rinsing it and putting it in the dishwasher.

Proof gone. Fight averted.

She leaned back against the spotless counter.

The single dish in the washer was the only flaw in the entirety of the kitchen and with nothing left to occupy her hands, Elena started down the hall and up the stairs.

Her parent's bedroom door was cracked, a good sign that her mother had turned in for the night, but just to be sure, Elena peeked inside.

Sure enough, Miranda was passed out, under silk sheets that barely seemed to crease.

The rest of the room was in perfect order as well, nothing on the floor and tomorrow's clothes hanging on the outside of the walk in closet.

Even when drinking, her mother managed to stay organized; curlers in her hair, and her face completely washed clean of makeup.

Elena closed the door and continued down the hallway to her room.

* * *

Ignoring her bed, and the recent memories made there, Elena stepped into her bathroom and caught sight of her reflection.

Bright brown eyes stared back at her, identical to her mother's, and her ponytail had let a few loose strands of hair fall around her face.

She pulled the mess down and tried to focus on what she had planned.

Bubble bath. Relaxing...

_Or you can just do what you actually want, _her brain shouted, _And text him._

With a huff, she returned to her room to grab some pajamas.

Reaching out to Damon would be a bad idea right now, considering the bad fantasies she had been entertaining about him, and the fact that he was probably doing equally bad things with flexible cheerleaders, and she didn't want to be reminded of that.

Plus, it would be rude, interrupting...it absolutely had nothing to do with the fact that the thought of him with someone else made her skin crawl.

That those long fingers could be curling inside another warm body that wasn't hers, and those blue eyes of his could be heavy with desire for someone else.

It had nothing to do with the fact that she had been thinking about him for most of the night, and trying to convince herself that it was the unsettled events of the evening that were urging her to his company, and not jealousy or her own desire.

Because damn it, she wanted to see him.

She wanted to talk to him and feel like everything was going to be okay, because through some cosmic twist of fate, that was the way Damon made her feel.

Like none of the bad stuff mattered as much when they were in a room together.

Damon saw through it all and she didn't have to be the good girl with him.

The nice one.

The quiet one.

The smart one.

The doctor's perfect daughter.

With him, she didn't feel as if she were waiting for the floor to open up and swallow her whole, just to escape from the pressure of her last name.

God, she was tired; so tired of it all.

The charade had become the norm years ago, to the point that all she ever did in this damn town was pretend.

Pretend like she was perfect. Pretend like all that mattered to her was her grades, committees, and family name.

She was Elena _Gilbert_.

She straightened her hair, wore minimal makeup, crossed her legs, and dotted all her i's to absolute perfection.

Outside of this house, she was the image of everything her family was supposed to represent.

She laughed a little at the absurdity.

If only the town could see the truth of their family behind the door; see that they were shattered, angry, and ripping at the seams.

It wouldn't be such a pretty picture then, but at least it would be honest.

* * *

Tears pricked at her eyes, and Elena wiped them away, willing herself to calm down and get back to task.

Right.

Pajamas. Bubble bath.

She reached down and pulled out a tank top and shorts...and caught sight of her reflection in the mirror on the dresser as she straightened.

She didn't look perfect anymore.

Her hair was still a wild mess, her makeup was smudged at the corners of her eyes, and her cheer uniform was all wrinkled and probably smelled like sweat.

She tore it off of her body and decided to forego the bath in favor of her shower.

Washing off the grime of the night with some decent pressure suddenly sounded much more appealing.

* * *

Damon stepped out of his shower and towel dried his hair before pulling on a pair of sweatpants and heading downstairs for his father's liquor cart.

His footfalls echoed against the antique wood of the steps, bouncing off the tall ceiling of the mansion he lived in, and nothing answered it.

There was no one else around.

Stefan was still out with the rest of his jock friends and Elena, though Damon was pointedly ignoring the latter.

And his father was...oh hell, who even knew?

He could be working late at the office he occupied in Whitmore, or he could be entertaining investors with a late night poker game and fine scotch.

Or maybe he was in a nearby hotel, plowing whatever secretary, waitress, or coat check attendant had gotten his attention for the night.

All that mattered was that he wasn't home, and Damon could revel in the silence until his return.

No doubt Stefan would be notified of the expected hour, if their father bothered to reach out at all.

It was no secret that between the two Salvatore sons, Damon was the least favored.

Possibly because, unlike his brother, he had their mother's dark hair and blue eyes, which made him a walking reminder of everything Giuseppe Salvatore had thrown away in favor of some younger piece of ass that had lasted all of two weeks.

Or maybe it was embarrassment that the man resented?

Having your wife leave you, and her sons one might add, all alone after a public scandal was quite humiliating indeed.

It had taken more than a few charity donations for the Salvatore name to win back its merit in the eyes of the town, but nothing had ever really been the same.

Instead of falling into traps of pity and judgments, however, Damon embraced the scornful eyes and prerequisite conclusions that he might have inherited the worst traits of his parents, and had decided to prove them all right.

For all he cared, Stefan could be the golden boy.

Damon did what he wanted and took what he liked, and he never apologized for any of it…

Until tonight.

The apology he had given Elena for acting like a complete ass had been outside of his usual report.

A fluke of his newly besotted brain, no doubt, though she hadn't deserved his behavior.

Which was why he had let her go, wasn't it?

So they could both get what they wanted tonight.

With that thought, he grabbed a glass and selected his favorite bourbon from the cart.

With both in hand, he went back upstairs for his phone and texted a reliable distraction for the night's entertainment, determined to scrub the memory of everything else from his brain for the next few hours.

* * *

More than half an hour had passed before Elena got out of the shower.

The hot water helped, as did the soap and shampoo, but when she had finished and had dressed in her pajamas, she ended up right back where she started.

Feeling like complete hell in front of her mirror.

Only now the reflection staring back at her was similar to the one she usually saw in the mornings.

Clean and flawless. Something worthy of a Gilbert.

Not the mess she had been earlier, and not the flushed wanton she had been that day Damon had made her watch him touch her, when the charade had slipped and there had been no need to hide behind her usual mask.

There never was, with him.

How many times had he made that perfectly clear, not just this week when they had taken things to a whole new level, but over the course of years?

Damon was a constant in the background of her life.

A friend, who was flirty and annoying and sexy and disgusting at times, yes, but he was always there when she needed him.

Elena sighed heavily and went to grab her phone.

* * *

"Damon, come on," Rose's annoyed huff sounded through the room, "I'm feeling a little lonely over here."

Damon wasn't hurried in the least by her prompting, and finished the drink he had been nursing, the second of the night.

His occasional hook up, and somewhat friend, Rose Porter, had seemed like a good person to call for a distraction, but much to his dismay, his body wasn't wanting to get with the program.

The drink wasn't helping much either in that regard, but at least it gave him an excuse to occupy his tongue.

"Damo-"

"I heard you the first time," he assured her, and placed the now empty tumbler on his dresser before looking back at the bed, where she was sprawled out.

Rose had a nice body, and the black lace she was wearing certainly complimented her curves.

He sauntered over and grabbed her ankle, yanking her to the edge of the mattress.

She smirked as he gripped her chin between his fingers and got close to her mouth.

"Turn over," he breathed against her lips, not quite touching them, and Rose's brows lifted.

But she complied.

When the arch of her back and that round ass was presented, Damon ran a hand over them, half in appreciation, half in annoyance.

He and Rose always had a good time when they hooked up, so why wasn't this doing anything for him now?

His hand dove into her brunette hair, and all he could think about was how it was too short, too light a shade…

He placed a kiss against her shoulder blade, and her skin smelled like mixed berries and cigarette smoke.

He bit down and she groaned, wiggling her ass against his crotch in encouragement.

But his body gave no response.

"What are you waiting for?" she teased, arching further back into him.

He was saved from answering, however, when a sudden buzzing started on his night stand, and his phone lit up with a notification.

"Ignore it," Rose whined, as he reached over to check the message.

Elena's name shone from the screen and Damon straightened, pulling away from the bed.

E: _I need you. Can we talk?_

No other context was given, and he frowned.

Had something happened at the Grill?

Was she okay?

D: _Come over?_

Her agreement came quickly and he tried to ignore the easing tension in his chest as he instructed her on where to park her car, just in case his father arrived home unexpectedly.

Stefan had called earlier to say that he was crashing with Lockwood for the night, so no concern on that front...though his brother hadn't mentioned Elena at all.

Had they left already?

Was she at Tyler's with Stefan? Or had she gone home?

"Something wrong?" Rose asked, bringing his mind back to the room.

She had turned back around and there was an unhappy expression on her face.

"Uh, yeah," he shook his phone, "There's something I need to do. You mind taking off?"

Her eyes narrowed, "You're the one who invited me over, you know. Not the other way around."

Damon ran a hand down his face, "I know. I'll make it up to you later, okay?"

It was the closest to an apology that she was going to get, and she knew it.

Rose jumped up from the bed and grabbed her jeans off the floor, "You don't have to lie to me Damon. I'm your friend, not one of your one night stands."

He couldn't help but smirk and reached for her shirt to hand to her, "You're right. And I do so value our friendship."

Rose rolled her eyes, "You value the fact that I'm willing to take care of you when you don't feel like hunting down new pussy."

"Like you don't beg for it each time," he fired back, and she winked, "You're an easy scratch for a bad itch."

"Or a good scratch for an easy itch," he taunted the insult.

"We truly have something special," she drawled as she finished getting dressed and grabbed the rest of her things.

She was out the door with a wave behind her and neither of them promised to call.

They had done this too many times to believe that lie.

Damon waited until he heard the front door shut down the stairs, then let out a sigh of relief and went to his bathroom.

Assuming Elena was leaving from her place, he had about ten minutes to make himself presentable.

Fifteen, if she was at the Lockwood's.

* * *

The Salvatore house was as impressive as ever, when Elena pulled into the circle drive, then around the large wall of the west side, to the concrete rest point and overhanging awning in the back.

Damon had suggested parking her car there, so his father didn't see it when he arrived home.

She had wanted to ask where he was at, with it being so late, but wasn't sure if it was her place, or her business.

Not to mention that Giuseppe Salvatore happened to intimidate the hell out of her, so if he was absent from the premises, she considered that a bonus.

She killed her car and stepped out as the west wing's back door opened, and suddenly, Damon was there.

The sight of him was enough to make her forget all other distracted thoughts and she drank him in.

Tousled hair, a bare and ribbed stomach, dark sweatpants that clung to his thighs like they were made for him...she couldn't help but let her eyes roam in appreciation.

He didn't say a word under her scrutiny, though his lips did turn up at the corners, as though he were pleased with her obvious attraction.

_Oh god, was she really doing this?_

Her chest heaved with each breath, as her stomach clenched with nerves, and Damon's head tilted, inclining toward the house.  
He was inviting her in.

She hesitated for just a moment, with a million thoughts shooting through her head.

Did she really want to do this?

She knew it was probably a mistake, even as her feet urged her forward, but she also knew there was no one better to make it with.

Damon understood her dilemma; he had called her out on the bullshit of it all and was her surest route of escape.

So she followed him into the house, palming her keys and phone.

* * *

If the outside of the Salvatore's home was impressive, it dimmed in comparison to the museum like perfection of the internal architecture.

It never failed to steal her breath away, no matter how many times she had come over, and tonight was no different.

Her wide eyes took in every painting, woodwork, and vintage erad furnishings as they made their way to the staircase.

A moment later, they were at Damon's bedroom door, crossing the threshold to his room.

"You can put those there," he spoke finally, motioning to a vanity by the entrance for her belongings.

She complied, setting her phone and keys down, and dallied a bit before glancing over at him.

Those blue eyes were locked on her, as he leaned back against the footboard of his enormous bed, and she was sure he was waiting for an explanation to her text.

Or maybe he already knew what was on her mind...there was something in the way he was looking at her that made her think he might, but it was hard to be sure.

She swallowed back her nerves and glanced around.

"It's cleaner than I expected," she praised, "Last time I was over, it resembled something closer to a frat house."

Damon's lips flickered a smirk, but he wasn't letting her off the hook with some "how's the weather" distractions.

"You wanted to talk?" He prodded, and Elena dropped her gaze.

She should just cut to the chase before he got annoyed.

He might have been busy or...

"Where's your quick fix?" she asked without meaning to, and immediately regretted the snappiness of her tone.

Damon inclined his head in her direction, "I got a better offer."

Elena blushed, but felt strangely pleased by the answer, "I'm sorry you had to choose."

Except she wasn't, because he had chosen her.

"No you're not," he smirked as he called her bluff, "But that's okay. Turns out I wasn't that into it, anyway."

Her lip found its way between her teeth and Elena bit down, "Turns out...I wasn't either."

Damon stared at her blankly for a moment, then his brows pulled together, "What do you mean?"

She took a deep breath and whispered the confession like it was some dirty secret, "That you were right, earlier. I'm not happy."

There.

She had said it out loud.

The ugly truth that ruined the perfect lie.

There really was no turning back now.

* * *

**Next chapter will pick up where this leaves off! Let me know what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Only a few more chapters left of this story! Thanks for all the reviews!**

**Glad ya'll are liking it!**

**This chapter was one of my favorites to write so far! Suuuuuper steamy! ;)**

* * *

"I'm not happy."

Damon did a double take at Elena's quiet utterance and felt a million questions fly to his tongue.

_What exactly does that mean?_

_What had happened tonight?_

_Where is Stefan?_

But he held back the inquiries and leaned back so his palms rested on the footboard behind him.

Elena already looked spooked enough and he was afraid that one wrong move would make her close up again and change her mind.

So he waited, taking in the view of her little pajama outfit and wet hair and pensive expression.

Instead of elaborating, though, Elena's gaze flickered around the room again, before landing on the half empty bottle that was sitting behind his used glass.

Surprising him, she honed in on the thing with a sudden urgency.

The top was off and the rim was pressed against her lips before he could open his mouth.

"Eck," she groaned after swallowing, "This is disgusting."

He chuckled as she made an adorable scrunch face and took another long swig.

After a third, his smile gave way to concern, "Elena?"

_What the hell happened tonight?_

_Why are you here?_

_What did my brother do to make you want to drown yourself in alcohol?_

The bottle was abandoned back to the dresser before he could ask any of those things, and in the same motion, Elena was in his arms.

* * *

Damon wasn't struck stupid very often before they started this thing, but he didn't think he would ever get over the surprise of having every curve of Elena Gilbert pressed against him as her mouth hungrily descended onto his.

She tasted like whiskey and smelled like warm vanilla, drawing him into her embrace as if she was the air he needed to breathe.

And despite his brain playing catch up, his body was right with her, holding her tightly and kissing her back just as hungrily.

Everything below the belt that had been so dormant with Rose woke up with a resounding bang in response to Elena.

_This_ is what he had been wanting.

Elena too, it seemed, as she deepened the kiss with a moan against his lips that made his cock punch into the waistband of his pants, begging to be let out.

Then with astonishing ease, she looped her arms over his neck and lifted herself, so that her legs were around his waist and his hands were somehow holding her ass.

They were pressed so closely together now, Elena using all that cheerleader flexibility to lock herself so completely around him that he nearly forgot how to breathe, he was so turned on.

The slight weight of her in his arms urged him back until he stumbled against the bed.

She encouraged the motion, tilting him down until they were horizontal and she was grinding those hips of hers against him with the leverage of gravity.

Holy shit.

Elena's nails raked against his chest as her teeth caught his bottom lip and he was having difficulty drawing up a rational thought.

Then her hands were sliding down, so far down, beneath the elastic of his sweatpants...then..._holy shit_.

_Holy shit_.

_Holy _shit.

Damon tried to slow her down, pull away from the overwhelming heat of her, but she only gripped him more firmly and stroked more sporadically.

"Fuck," he groaned.

He had no idea where this frantically persistent Elena had come from or what had triggered the desperation he felt in her touch, but he knew that if he didn't stop them now, he wasn't going to have the resolve to stop at all.

* * *

With all the willpower he possessed, Damon shoved Elena away, almost too hard, and she bounced on the mattress next to him.

She wasn't put off by the action, though, as their positions changed and he was now looming over her.

In fact, a seductive smile crossed her lips that almost made him cum on the spot, "You can be on top, if you like."

_Fuck. Him._

"Elena, no."

"No?" she challenged, her legs parting even further beneath him; a clear invitation.

He cursed himself internally, "I mean, not...not now...wait just a second."

Elena didn't appear to be listening to him try and attempt a coherent sentence as she leaned forward and stripped off her tank top.

Oh god, she was naked underneath and those perfect little tits of hers were drawn taut with desire.

Damon couldn't help himself.

He really tried, but he had dreamed of this too often and his head moved on its own accord, lowering to her body and drawing one of those perky nipples against his tongue.

He just had to have a taste.

Just once.

Elena's hands were in his hair now, tugging harshly as he worked her with his mouth, sucking and biting until she was squirming beneath him.

"Damon," she wiggled her hips that he had somehow sank into the cradle of, and his erection strained against his sweats to get at her.

There were reasons to stop.

He knew this.

But it was impossible to think of any when she was so keyed up while under him, and his ego wanted her to know how good he could make her feel.

How he could drive her body to the edge with his touch and his tongue, until she was aching and begging for more, in a way that Stefan would never be able to deliver.

So he gave in, at least partly, to sate both her needs and his darker desires.

Just a little taste.

* * *

Elena was putty in Damon's arms, melting into every touch as the mouth that was teasing her breasts drifted south, biting along her ribs, tongue swirling her navel, kisses pressed against her hips…

Heat, desire, longing...everything that she had been after was radiating from them both, and it was absolutely perfect.

So when she felt her shorts being dragged down her legs, she didn't stop to overthink it.

A few slips of fabric, a brush of silk...and she was naked.

Damon paused then, hesitating at her core, and she felt a single flare of insecurity as she realized someone was looking at her completely bare for the first time.

She felt so exposed...so vulnerable...so-

Damon sank down between her legs and brought his mouth against her.

The first drag had her hips shooting off the bed as a cry flew from her mouth, and his arm came up to hold her in place.

"_Ohmygod,_" she moaned as he found her clit and became all about it, taking her against his tongue roughly, with a single-minded drive.

He ate at her with a ferocity that made her want to scream; alternating between long strokes, powerful sucks, and wet licks until she was falling apart.

Then his fingers slipped inside of her, stroking and stretching, and she did scream.

Again.

And again.

Time melted into nonexistence, and it wasn't until the pleasure seemed impossible and noises that were completely foreign had left her mouth, that Damon finally pulled away.

She fell against the mattress as he crawled back up her body and the kiss he gave her was tainted with her own scent.

Her mind jumped back to the couch in her living room, when he had touched her for the first time and then placed his fingers into his mouth.

She had tasted herself on him that day, but it had been nothing like the onslaught of her essence now.

She was all over his lips and tongue and he was making sure she knew it.

But it wasn't enough.

She wanted to taste him too.

Her hand reached down between them, to stroke that hardness pressed against her thigh, and Damon groaned his own pleasure at the sensation.

She expected him to pull away again, to bring them to their senses, but instead, he simply rolled their bodies, so that he was half propped against the headboard and she was on top, between his legs.

With a practiced move, Damon's thumbs hooked his sweatpants, bringing them down enough that his erection was able to spring free and Elena's breath caught in her throat at the sight.

God, he was so hard, and the tip of him was dripping already.

She swallowed, trying to calm her nerves, and reached out to touch him.

He shivered when her hand wrapped around his length, and she paused after a few strokes, wanting more, but also feeling as if she should warn him.

"I...I've never done this before," she reminded him, "So I don't know if I'll be any good, or if I'll be able to-"

Damon shut her up with a firm kiss.

"Don't worry about that," he commanded against her lips, "You feel so perfect. I'm nearly there, already."

The erotic purr of his voice caused bumps to errupt on her skin, but gave her the encouragment she needed.

She kissed him again, then moved down his body.

His hand wrapped her hair into a fist and he guided her forward, until her head was above his erection, and she parted her lips around him.

The salty taste of him hit her tongue as Damon breathed out a curse above her.

She went slowly at first, trying to gage what pleased him, but it was beginning to seem like everything she did was pleasing to him, so she relaxed and let herself explore.

She sucked him as far to the base as she could, then dragged her tongue against him to the tip, swiveling around the ridge of his head before repeating the motion.

She left no part of him unattended, working him with her mouth, and then with her hand as well, until all the different pressures and speeds became too much.

Damon's breathing became ragged and heavy, as his erection thickened further.

"Elena," he managed to exhale, "Fuck, baby, stop, I'm close, I-"

She ignored his warning, wanting to taste all of him, and sped up her motions, taking him further down her throat, before working back up to his tip.

Over and over, until he lost that last ounce of control and groaned a curse as he came hard in her mouth.

She swallowed all of him, before licking the last bit from his head and Damon shivered at the sensitivity.

He pulled her up as he shifted further down, settling them against his pillows with her body pressed into his side, and he kissed her hair.

"You didn't have to do that."

She smiled at the fact that he was still breathless.

"I wanted to."

Another kiss, this one on her forehead, and he turned so that their chests were flush against each other.

She knew they needed to talk, but she had no idea where to begin.

All she did know was that she never wanted to move from this spot...and that seemed to make things a little simpler, didn't it?

* * *

"I can't stay with Stefan," she whispered against Damon's skin, and he stiffened.

When he leaned away to look at her, Elena closed her eyes, "You were right. I'm not happy with him and...I'm not in love with him."

Admitting the truth was easier now, but the words still hurt.

She cared about Stefan, yes, she always had, and in that way, she did love him.

But there was a difference between the fantasy she had dreamed up as a freshman and the truth of their reality.

She wasn't _in _love with him. Maybe she never had been.

Damon touched her cheek and she sighed, leaning into his fingers, "Feel free to say I told you so."

When he didn't answer, she peeked up at him, and found those blue eyes piercing into her own.

"What happened tonight?" was all he asked.

Elena shrugged, "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

The disbelief in his tone was almost amusing, if it wasn't for the fact that she was telling the truth.

"Nothing happened," she elaborated, "And that's the problem. I wanted to leave the Grill, so Stefan took me out back. He kissed me in the alley; tried to take it further...but...nothing happened. I didn't feel anything. I didn't get...you know."

"Wet?" Damon's brow arched and she nodded.

Then his hand came between them and she gasped as his fingers stroked her center, the slick aftermath of her orgasms still coating her folds.

"Doesn't seem like much of an issue now," He looked as if he were suddenly fighting a smirk and she shivered.

"That's because...it's different...with you," she barely managed to get the words out as he teased her entrance.

The smirk fell from Damon's mouth, his expression turning serious as he pulled his hand away.

Elena averted her gaze to avoid the question in his eyes.

The air was starting to feel a little too heavy, and they were way too naked.

She sat up and fished for her panties that had been discarded on the floor by the bed.

After pulling them on, she grabbed the whiskey bottle, which was now less than half full, and rejoined Damon on the bed.

He sat up as she took a swig, readjusting himself as well, so that his sweatpants were back in place.

Elena made a face as the liquor burned its way down her throat, and she heard Damon chuckle before reaching over and taking the bottle from her.

He tipped it up, drinking a shots worth himself, then offered it back.

She took it, but merely held it in her hands, running a finger around the neck of the bottle.

"Did you tell him?" Damon went back to the point as he watched the motion, "Stefan...about how you're feeling? Or _not_ feeling, I suppose is more accurate."

Elena sighed, "Not yet. Because it's more than just the sex stuff. We feel...over. But to be honest, I'm still trying to figure it all out in my head."

Damon made a noise deep in his throat, "You mean you're waiting to get cold feet on having that conversation so you can go back to pretending everything's perfect?"

"No," she assured him, "As much as I wish things could be...they aren't perfect. And if I start pretending otherwise now, I'll never stop. You were right. It's not worth living a lie."

He studied her, his expression still disbelieving, and she couldn't really blame him.

She felt as if she had been on a mental roller coaster lately, and her mind was still spinning.

Staying with Stefan, pleasing her parents, keeping her head down and following through with the perfect act...it would be simpler.

And the alternative was so frightening that she wanted to resort to the safety that the familiar charade offered.

But if she did that, she was going to end up exactly like her parents, and as successful, respected, and well liked as they were, she knew the truth.

No amount of saving face had made them any happier behind closed doors, and she didn't have to settle for that same miserable mediocracy.

"What exactly changed your mind, then?" Damon challenged, reclining so that his back rested against the headboard, and damn if the _laissez faire _didn't make him even more attractive, "You were fine with living in denial earlier tonight."

Elena shrugged, still playing with the whiskey bottle, "Denial is easier."

She took another drink as she recalled the night's events.

"I'm not perfect," she said after a hard swallow.

Damon frowned, "I never said-"

"I know what everyone thinks about me," she cut him off, "What I've tried so hard to make sure they believe...but it's all fake. Just like my 'perfect' family."

A dry laugh escaped her, "God forbid anyone actually be honest in this town. Then people might realize what a sham my parent's marriage is. My dad might be having an affair, my mom drinks more and more lately just to piss him off, and they are both so self involved and married to their careers that sometimes I wonder if they even remember they have a daughter."

Damon just stared at her, so she took another drink to occupy herself.

It burned less this time.

"You know what the killer part is?" Elena pushed the bottle back into Damon's hands as she laid back on the bed, "Is that I try so hard to do what they want, be what they want...and it doesn't matter. Yet, if I do one thing they disagree with, it's the end of the world! I mean, what kind of negative reinforcement bullshit is that? When you only acknowledge your child when they act less than perfect?"

Damon ran a hand through his hair, and the muscle of his pec flashed in the lamp light, catching her attention as he considered her question.

Damn, were they still naked?

No...his pants were on. And her underwear….

"It is bullshit," Damon agreed, when he realized she wasn't continuing her rant.

She thought of how odd it was that she was so comfortable, laying here in his bed, almost completely naked, spilling out the details of her heart.

"The whole Founders thing," Damon added, "None of them are who they pretend they are. The prestige and the social position, that's their ball and chain. It doesn't have to be ours."

_Ours._

There was something in his words...some inflection of his voice that grabbed Elena's attention.

"Are you thinking about your Dad?" she guessed, rolling onto her side so that she faced him better.

Now Damon was the one tipping the bottle like it could chase a bad taste from his mouth.

"He's just as bad as any of them," he said once he had swallowed, "He broke my Mom's heart, ran her off, and bought his way back up the social ladder. Like none of it matters. Like she...never mattered."

Damon exhaled sharply, "But at least he doesn't expect me to play along in the lie."

He sat the bourbon on the nightstand and stretched out next to her, turning on his side as well, so their faces were mere inches apart.

"I wish I could be more like you," she admitted as they settled, "Just do what I want, when I want, and not care who thinks what about it."

"You don't want to be like me," he assured her quickly, and she couldn't help but giggle a little, "No? You don't think I could pull off the bad boy look?"

"The look, I have no doubt," he teased, "It's the rest that I'm not so sure you'd be able to manage."

Elena arched a brow, "Oh, you mean the flagrant urge to sleep with half the school? Well, after the locker room incident, I'm sure everyone is thinking I'm a slut anyway, so...what's your next excuse? What's wrong with being like you?"

The corners of his lips pulled in a half smirk, "Well, for starters, there's a difference between people thinking you're a slut and actually being one. It's easy to get a reputation, but maintaining it takes work."

Elena laughed harshly and the room seemed to spin a little, "I'm currently in bed with my boyfriend's brother. How's that for maintenance?"

_Soon to be ex-boyfriend, but still_.

Damon shrugged, "I'm in bed with my brother's girlfriend...the difference is that I won't feel the slightest hint of guilt about it tomorrow."

There was a slight accusation in his tease that wasn't missed by either of them, and Elena blinked at him.

"I made up my mind, Damon. I'm ending it with Stefan. It's...over."

He gave her a bitter smirk, "Right. Give it until morning."

* * *

Damon tried to squander the hope he felt in his chest.

The idea that Elena was actually going to end her relationship with Stefan was probably too good to be true, especially with how indecisive she had been lately.

Tonight she was upset by her parents and in a mood; tomorrow she would be over it and back to playing the dutiful daughter.

He really wished she wouldn't though, because she was in a bad place that was only going to get worse if she continued letting everyone else tell her how to live her life.

And one day she would lose it entirely; maybe even run off and abandon her family like his mom had.

It seemed to be the only way to find freedom once you've chained yourself to those expectations.

She sounded resolved, laying there, three sheets to the wind in nothing but her panties, but how long would that actually last?

She deserved so much more.

A red flush crept across Elena's cheeks as she processed his words and her brows pulled together in a way that told him she was getting angry.

"I mean it."

He forced a smirk, "Sure."

"You know what, screw it," she exhaled, then jumped up from the bed and crossed the room.

She stumbled a little as she found her legs, hinting that she may have taken one too many sips of his whiskey.

"What are you doing?" Damon demanded, sitting up in case she tried to leave, and tried to ignore how good she looked in the dim lighting of the room.

"Proving you wrong," she answered vaguely, grabbing her phone from the vanity when she reached it, and fumbled to find the right contact information.

When she did, she hit the call button and put it on speaker when it started to ring; a look of sheer determination on her face.

Damon frowned.

After a few long seconds, a familiar, breathless voice answered, "Hello? Elena? Hey-"

"Stefan, hey," Elena started, her eyes never leaving his, "Listen, we have to talk. I was thinking about everything we-"

Damon shot from the bed and took the phone from her before she could finish the sentence.

This was so not how that was going down.

"Hey!" she yelled as he ended the call, "What the hell?!"

"You proved your point," he assured her, placing the cell on the dresser behind him, "But I'm not gonna let you drunk dial Stefan and dump him over the phone."

"I'm not that drunk," she shouted, despite the fact that she was swaying a little, "And what does it matter to you _how_ I break up with him? It's what you want, isn't it? Or was all that you-deserve-better-than-a-lie stuff just a game to amuse yourself with?"

Damon flinched.

A _game_?!

How could she even think that?

Hell yeah, he wanted her to break up with Stefan, and not for some sick amusement, but because she did deserve better...he wanted her to realize that.

He wanted her to want more than false contentment and excuses for being treated poorly.

He wanted her to be happy, in a way that Stefan was never going to make her.

He wanted the chance to make her happy himself.

He wanted….her.

Damon froze as the thought hit him like a gong.

He wanted her.

He wanted Elena, and not just for the sexual pleasure he felt when they touched.

He wanted to make her laugh, to the point that she got that little crinkle in her nose that he found way more endearing than he should.

He wanted her in the passenger's seat of his car, driving down backroads, joking around in a way that was so easy with her.

He wanted to take her to the Grill for burgers and tease her over the fact that she hates pickles, and had since they were children.

He wanted to kiss her just because he could, and because the little sigh she makes when he pulls away from her lips makes his heart skip a beat, and he wanted to hold her and watch her cheer and complain about how much calculus sucks and run his hands through her long hair and talk to her about how much he actually missed his mother and hated her a little bit too, because god knows she was the only one who would understand...and he wanted so much, to tell her all of those things.

But it was late.

And she was drunk.

And pissed.

And still waiting for an answer.

He had none to give.

No words that came to mind to explain exactly what he was feeling, and he knew it was wrong; it was all kinds of wrong.

But he kissed her.

He reached forward and drew Elena to his body and kissed her like it was the only thing on Earth he could do.

After a stiff moment, she sank into him and kissed him back with hands that gripped his neck for dear life.

And, at least for tonight, they didn't need words to understand anything.

* * *

***Fans self***

**Ya'll know what to do ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Winding down with maybe one more chapter. This was a fun little story to write. Glad you guys have seemed to enjoy it!**

**PS, posting kinda late, so sorry if there are any mistakes. My final review wasn't as thorough as usual lol**

**:)**

* * *

Elena woke up Saturday morning in bed with Damon, two bags of chips, a paper plate that had once held her half of a microwavable pizza, and an empty whiskey bottle.

Sunlight peeked through the blinds, casting a glow of light across the room that still felt too bright for the early hour.

Or maybe it was the pounding in her head telling her that?

Ugh, she had drank way too much last night.

It took a few moments for the thickness of sleep to ease off and for her surroundings to really come into focus.

She was in the middle of the bed, her bare back against Damon's bare chest, and his hand was on her thigh, making slow strokes against her skin.

So he was awake too.

Elena closed her eyes and relaxed, deciding that the headache wasn't too bad after all.

* * *

The details of last night were only a little blurry; she remembered trying to call Stefan.

She remembered Damon stopping her, and thank God he had, because that was definitely a talk she needed to have in person...and probably 100% sober.

But mostly, she remembered the way Damon had kissed her, after taking her phone away.

The possessiveness, the warmth, the desire…

Something had changed the moment she had chosen to text him last night, and she knew that this wasn't about their "lessons" or even about the need for a distraction from all the chaos in their lives.

This was something else; something real, and that last kiss had tasted like validation.

It felt like hours before they had parted, so wrapped up in each other that they hadn't wanted to let go.

Eventually, Damon had stopped them though, only because she had been willing to cross a line that she might not be too happy about now that she was thinking clearly.

Though...a part of her wasn't so sure anymore.

Everything with Damon felt so good, it wasn't a stretch to consider taking that final step and giving into him completely.

She trusted him. She wanted him.

And he certainly wanted her.

But she also knew that there was more to consider, and despite how much she enjoyed kissing him, they needed to step back and figure out what the hell they were doing.

Except, when they had pulled apart, her phone started ringing; Stefan calling her back.

They had both stared at the thing, then at each other.

Damon's face had lacked any emotion, any hint as to what was going on in his head, so she hit ignore and sent Stefan a short text that they would talk later.

Right then, she really wanted to know what Damon was thinking.

However, before she could say anything, he had moved away, asking her if she was hungry.

He was changing the topic, or more accurately, avoiding it, so Elena simply nodded, deciding that they could have at least this one night to themselves before complicating things further.

Half an hour later, they were back in Damon's bed, chips and pizza between them, discussing the likelihood that the school's mean old janitor was hoarding all the random pom poms that had gone missing over the years in some hidden back room supply closet where he definitely had a shrine set up for cheerleaders of years past.

There was also a debate that he himself had tried out for the squad back in the sixties, but had sadly been turned down, and existed in a state of regret for dreams unlived.

It was stupid and funny, and exactly the kind of wild conspiracy Elena had needed to ease the tension of the night.

She wasn't sure when they started finishing off the bottle, only that it was emptied and she had gotten warm and sleepy and Damon had pulled her close to his body.

He didn't mention the kiss, or her impending break up, or anything else as she drifted off; just pecked the top of her head before succumbing to sleep himself.

But now, they were both awake.

And Damon was still touching her in a way that was far less than innocent, his fingers drifting further and further toward her inner thigh with each sweep up her leg.

* * *

Elena let out a slow exhale, then turned around in the sheets to face him; the motion causing her headache to resurge a little.

As she had predicted, Damon was wide awake; eyes open and aware.

"Good morning," he told her gravelly, those bright blue irises searching her face.

"It would be," she couldn't help but grimace a little, "If we hadn't killed the entire bottle of Kentucky Straight last night."

Damon chuckled softly, "Hangover?"

"Pounding headache, light sensitivity, dry mouth," she ticked off the symptoms, "I'd say that's a fair assumption."

He smirked and kissed her forehead, "Well, you're in luck. I happen to have the best hangover cure known to man."

"Of course you do," she smiled back, "I'm just hoping it's not coffee spiked with Jameson."

Damon laughed, then detangled himself to roll out of bed, "Actually it's a smoothie. Lots of electrolytes and hydrating fruits and vegetables. I'm warning you though, it tastes like death."

Elena stretched out in the space he left behind, before sitting up, "Might be worth it, just in case one of my parents happens to be home later. Doctors tend to have strong opinions about teenagers and alcohol."

"No doubt they have strong opinions about a lot of things," he agreed, then gave her a once over, "Steam from a hot shower might help too, if you're interested. You _are_ already halfway undressed."

Elena glanced down, realized she was still only in her underwear, and blushed.

She grabbed the sheet and yanked it up to her chest as Damon grinned shamelessly.

"My shirt was off all night, wasn't it?" she briefly recalled throwing it somewhere on the floor as things between the two of them had heated up, and afterwards, she had been too in her head, and in the bottle, to much care that she and Damon were chatting and lounging in the near nude.

"I wasn't complaining," he assured her, "And for a long while, neither were you."

Her blush deepened as she remembered his mouth on her breasts, teeth nipping and teasing, and she dropped her gaze.

Silence fell heavy between them, until Damon cleared his throat, "Has that guilt train arrived at Regret Station yet?"

Elena pushed away her slight embarrassment and met his gaze, "No."

"Oh. Well, it's still early."

The doubt was all over his expression, and she hated it.

"Damon-"

"No," He shook his head, stopping her, "No, don't do that. You don't have to say anything. I have this morning with you. Just let me have that. There's no need to explain anything."

Except, yes, there was.

"I was just going to say that I remember what I said last night," she promised him, "And I'm going to talk to Stefan today."

She thought he would be relieved, but instead, his gaze dropped and he leaned closer toward the door, "Yeah...that's what I'm worried about. That you'll see him...and..."

He trailed off, but didn't lift his eyes, and Elena felt a jolt of shock run down her spine.

Damon was nervous. About her seeing Stefan?

She wasn't naive. She knew that she had to end things with Stefan, but that had just as much to do with being honest with herself as it did with wanting Damon.

Wanting Damon.

She _wanted_ Damon. Last night had proven that in spades.

The silent admission was consuming and her mouth was suddenly even drier than before as she realized that breaking up with Stefan didn't mean that she would get to be with his brother.

Damon was notorious for his disdain of relationships, and just because he acted differently with her didn't mean he was going to change his opinion on long term girlfriends.

And Elena wasn't a casual, non commitment kind of girl.

"I'll see him and what?" she prodded gently, praying that somehow he _had_ changed his mind...that he felt the same thing she did when they kissed and was willing to take a chance on it.

But Damon merely shook his head, "Nothing."

It wasn't nothing though. He wouldn't have said anything, otherwise.

"I'll go get that smoothie started," he decided, before she could press further, "You can take a shower...or not. Your clothes are over there by the foot of the bed."

He started toward the door, but Elena was faster, shooting up of the mattress, all thoughts of nudity abandoned, and grabbed his arm.

"Wait."

When he stopped, she tugged on him until he looked at her, "You never answered my question last night."

Damon paused, then swallowed, "Which one?"

"I asked you if you wanted me to break up with Stefan."

She wanted him to say yes.

She wanted him to admit that he wanted to be with her.

But things were never that simple, especially with Damon.

"I want you to be happy," he stated, "The choice of _how_ is yours to make. This is about what you want."

Vague enough to be infuriating, but open enough to give her hope.

Elena sighed as she dropped her gaze, "What if...what if I'm not sure I can have what I want?"

He didn't answer right away, falling so silent that she worried he might have actually left the room.

She risked a glance up to see that he was still there in front of her, his expression pensive.

"How will you ever know," he challenged, "If you don't take the chance to find out?"

What did _that _mean?

Did he even realize what she was talking about?

Was he trying to say that there might be a chance for whatever this thing was between them to become something even more evolved?

"I want…"

His breath seemed to stop, same as hers.

"What," he urged in a whisper, "What do you want?"

She started to answer, but a sudden banging on the door made them both jump, and the single syllable word died on her lips.

* * *

"Damon? Are you awake?"

Stefan's voice was barely muffled by the wood that separated them and Elena's eyes widened in immediate panic.

Yes, she planned on breaking up with him, but him finding her almost naked in his brother's bedroom was not part of that plan.

"Closet," Damon mouthed, quickly grabbing her things and shoving them into her hands.

She took them and let herself be ushered through the door across from the bathroom that proved to be a large walk in.

He shut her in as quietly as possible, and she fumbled in the darkness to get her clothes back on.

Crap, was her tank top on backwards?

Her panic increased as she heard another door open, and suddenly Stefan was in Damon's bedroom.

The oxygen around her seemed to disappear and her breath caught in her throat as he spoke.

"Sorry if I woke you...was just wondering if we could talk?"

"Sure," Damon answered, sounding as casually uninterested as ever, "But you look awful. Long night? Maybe you should go shower and change. I can meet you downstairs for breakfast?"

She had no idea how he was managing that level of calm when she personally felt like her heart was about to jump out of her chest.

"A shower can wait," Stefan brushed off the suggestion, and some muffled shifting made her think he had moved to sit on the edge of Damon's bed, "I really need your help."

More diluted sounds, "With what?"

There was a pregnant pause, then Damon began to urge, "Stefa-"

"I hooked up with Caroline."

An even longer pause, and Elena stopped breathing entirely.

Wow.

Just..._wow_.

When had he even-

"Last night?" Damon asked the question bouncing in her brain.

Stefan must have nodded, because Damon let out the same heavy, "Wow," still echoing in her head.

"I know," Stefan said quietly, "I...I didn't mean...I screwed up man; she wants to get together, and she threatened to tell Elena."

Thudding on the floor made Elena think Damon had begun pacing, "There would be nothing to tell if you cared enough about her to keep it in your pants."

"Hey, I didn't plan for it to happen, alright?" Stefan's voice rose, and Damon scoffed, "Apparently you never do."

"I didn't! But Caroline...she came up to the Grill after Elena left last night, and she said she just wanted to talk. But she's so, well, you know, and next thing I know we were in the bathroom and she was naked under her cheer skirt and-"

"And you're just the victim here," Damon mocked, "Is that really the story you're going with? Do you really think Elena is that stupid?"

Stefan groaned, "Of course not! But that's why I need your help. If Elena finds out about this, she'll dump me this time, I know it. That _can't_ happen."

"Oh for fucks sake," There was renewed exasperation in Damon's voice, "If you don't love her enough not to fuck other girls, then she should dump your ass! In fact, she should have dumped you the first time she caught you with Caroline."

Stefan hesitated before answering, "I thought you were supposed to support me here, Damon. You're my big brother!"

"Yeah, I am," Damon agreed, "Which means I can tell you candidly that you're being a total douche. If you want to screw Caroline, why not just date Caroline?"

A heavy sigh, "Because I'd have to dump Elena to be with her and...and that can't happen right now. We can't break up yet."

When Damon spoke, the same frown that Elena knew was on her face, was in his voice, "What the hell does that mean? Why can't you break up with Elena?"

Silence.

Elena took a few shallow breaths, waiting for the answer with a pit in her stomach that told her she wasn't going to like it.

And she was right.

* * *

"The internship at the hospital."

Damon blinked at the words Stefan muttered, trying to decipher what some wageless summer job had to do with anything.

Then his brother's eyes lifted, and the hint of guilt drove the revelation home.

Grayson Gilbert had founded that internship, and was responsible for Stefan's entrance.

"If I break up with Elena," Stefan continued, sounding impossibly worried, "Then her parents will find out, and-"

"Shut up," Damon growled out as his mind churned.

He could not believe what he was hearing.

Stefan's desperation to win Elena back, his pleas for forgiveness...it was all a farce for his own selfishness.

He didn't give a damn about her.

He was using her.

And she was hearing every word of it on the other side of the closet door.

"Do _not _finish that sentence," Damon warned when Stefan opened his mouth, but the idiot went on anyway.

"Look, I know it's bad," he rushed, "But I can't risk losing the slot in the summer program that Dr. Gilbert secured for me, or his letter of recommendation."

As if that was a good enough excuse for treating Elena like shit for his own personal gain.

That increasingly familiar rage boiled in Damon's veins and his hands clenched into fist, "You won't let her go...for a letter."

"I might lose my chance at Harvard without it," Stefan actually tried to defend his actions, "I just need until summer. I'll do the right thing and break up with her after we-"

Damon hit him.

With a solid swing, he clocked his brother in the face, and knocked him on his ass.

* * *

Stefan cried out at the impact, and groaned into the floor, "What the hell, Damon?!"

It only took a moment for him to scramble back to his feet, holding his nose which was leaking blood, "Why did you do that?!"

Damon grabbed him by the shirt front, "To make sure you do the right thing. Today. You don't deserve Elena, and she's better off without you. You have to let her go."

He pushed Stefan away with enough force to make him stumble, "Now go shower. I'll text Elena personally and let her know that you want to meet up. And you can tell her to her face exactly why you've been stringing her along."

His brother just stared at him with incredulity, but Damon felt no guilt for his actions.

When Stefan didn't move, he arched a brow, "What? Do you think I'm bluffing?"

"You...you have a thing for her...don't you?"

Damon stopped short, "What?"

"Elena," Stefan exhaled in disbelief, "You're into her, aren't you? That's what this is really about."

_How the hell had he come to that conclusion?_

"I've always cared about Elena," Damon redirected, "Our families are close. But this is about you, doing the right thing."

Stefan wiped his bloodied nose on the sleeve of his shirt and laughed roughly, "Right. Since when have you cared about doing the right thing? Huh? No...this is more than that. Don't think I haven't seen the way you look at her."

Damon grit his teeth and took a step closer to his brother, "And how exactly do I look at her?"

"The same way you look at most girls," Stefan spat, "Like you're trying to figure out the fastest way to get their clothes off. And you know what, that's your business, but seriously Damon? _Elena_? She wouldn't go there with me; what makes you think she'd put out for you?"

Anger spiked again and Damon exhaled slowly, "What makes you think sex is all I want from her?"

"Because you're incapable of anything else," Stefan fired back, "Isn't that what you've always told me? Love is a myth, hearts can lie, relationships are wastes of time? Screw em and leave em? God, you know, maybe I am a douche for what I did, but at least I had a reason! To make sure I have a better future. But you," he pointed a finger at Damon's chest, "You'd use her as a quick lay, same as all the others, to try and convince yourself that it doesn't matter that the only woman you ever actually loved, abandoned you!"

They were both breathing hard now and Damon shook his head.

"Our mother has nothing to do with this."

"She has everything to do with it! Because you're just like her; always running, always leaving before you're left. But that doesn't matter. You want to try and work out your issues on Elena, be my guest, but then you're just as selfish as I am. Because you're right, she's probably better off without me...but she is sure as hell better off without you."

With that, he stormed from the room, and Damon stayed frozen in place, listening to his footsteps echo down the hall.

* * *

Elena waited a moment after Stefan's departure to be sure the coast was clear.

Then she carefully pushed the closet door open and stepped out.

Damon was standing near his bed, his gaze fixed on the door Stefan had left out of, but he didn't appear to be seeing it.

She was so angry for him, and for herself.

Not that she had been exactly handling things great, lately, but she would never sink the the level Stefan just had.

She walked over and closed the door before turning back to Damon.

There were so many things she wanted to say, so many things she didn't know how to say...but all she could do was reach for his hand and squeeze.

Slowly, he thawed and his gaze moved to hers.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

She wasn't sure if he was apologizing for what she had overheard; that Stefan was a complete tool that had only stayed with her for her family connections, or for hitting Stefan, if that was in fact what that flesh on flesh noise had been that had made her now definitely ex boyfriend cry out in pain.

Or maybe he was apologizing for something else entirely.

Maybe he didn't even know.

It didn't matter.

She reached up a hand and cupped Damon's cheek, "Let's leave. I'll text Stefan and tell him it's over, I don't care. I can run home and change, then we can get breakfast in town and just forget that-"

"No," Damon pulled away from her and her brows drew together in confusion.

"You don't want breakfast?"

He leaned back against his footboard and his eyes closed, "You should go home."

But…"Why?"

Damon made a harsh sound in his throat, "Well we aren't going to fuck, and apparently I'm incapable of anything else, so it's probably for the best if we just call this what it is."

She flinched at his tone, "You don't mean that."

"Don't I?" he said coldly, meeting her gaze now with dead eyes, "It was just a bargain. You said you wouldn't sleep with me, I took it as a challenge, we had some fun. But it's over now. Like Stefan said, you aren't going to put out, I'll get bored, and frankly, you do deserve better, so yeah...I think I mean it."

"Damon."

His expression was bitter, "Go home, Elena, before I try to use you as a quick lay to work out my mommy issues."

He turned away from her, reached for the bottle on the bed and cursed when he realized it was empty and tossed it back on the mattress.

Elena scoffed, "So this is really how you want to do this? Stefan acts like an ass, says something that upsets you, and you're just going to push me away? Act like there's nothing more between us? Like what we've been doing hasn't meant a thing? Nice."

His back was still to her, so she saw the way his muscles tensed before he spoke, "Maybe he's right. You've always known what I am. Maybe it was your mistake to think I was capable of more."

Elena was having none of this.

It had taken her too long to figure out what she truly wanted, and now that she was through with the plastic masks, she wasn't going to let him hide behind one.

* * *

She reached forward and grabbed Damon's arm, forcing him to turn and look at her, "No. We're not doing this. You're going to listen to me, because I'm not the one making the mistake right now; you are."

His jaw set, like he was getting pissed, but she didn't care.

She got as close to him as possible, taking his face in both of her hands, digging her fingers into the back of his neck, "Earlier, you asked me what I wanted-"

"Elena, don't-"

"It's you," she said firmly, her stare burning into his, making sure he had no doubt about what she felt, "I want you, Damon. And it doesn't make sense, and it's probably not smart, and I guess I just don't care, because you are all I can think about anymore. You're the one that makes me happy, that makes me want more than the petty little lives of our families. That makes me believe I can do what I want and that the world won't come crashing down if I disappoint someone. You surprise me and make me question my life and every moment I'm with you just consumes me and you just...you get me. You and I understand each other in a way I never thought was possible. You can't tell me that everything we've been feeling has just been about you trying to get into my pants. Because it's not. I know it's not."

Elena swallowed back tears as her thumbs brushed against his cheeks, "So don't give up on this just because Stefan felt cornered and lashed out at you. Don't do this, don't push me away."

"I don't want to do that," Damon admitted, though it seemed as if the words were being pulled from his tongue against his will, "But I'm not the good guy, remember? I'm the rebel, the troublemaker, the black sheep. I lie to my brother, I fall for his girl, I don't do the right thing!"

Elena jerked at the admission that fell from his lips and Damon took her hands from his face, squeezing them in his palms, "But I have to do the right thing by you...because you do deserve better, Elena. You deserve better than both of us."

She swallowed the lump that had jumped in her throat, "So you _do_ have feelings for me? Real feelings?"

"Christ," he exhaled, "Did you not hear what I just said? I don't deserve-"

"You're falling in love with me," she repeated, stronger this time, "That's what I heard you say."

His teeth clamped together and she took a settling breath, "Am I wrong?"

"That's not the point-"

"Am I?" she demanded again, drawing out each word, and Damon cursed.

"Fuck. No, you aren't. You want the truth? Fine! I love you, Elena. I love you so damn much it's making me sick, but it doesn't change the fact that-"

She didn't let him finish.

With a hard pull, Elena forced his head down and she kissed him with everything she had.

Damon froze, then melted into her, his arms wrapping around her shoulders, lifting her so that their chests were flush against each other and she moaned into his mouth.

His hands were everywhere, squeezing, tugging, feeling, and she returned the favor, until they both ran out of breath.

"It changes everything," Elena murmured when she pulled away, just far enough that their forehead remained connected, "Because I spent last night, practically naked in your bed, and that wasn't about sex. That was you and that was me, just being together. You're capable of so much more than you think. And deep down, you know that."

They were so close, all she could see was his eyes, all that blue boring into her.

"What if I'm not," he whispered, "What if I really am just like my mother? I don't want to hurt you, but what if all I'm good for is leaving?"

Elena smiled gently, and threw his own words from earlier back at him, "How will you ever know, if you don't take the chance to find out?"

Damon seemed to recognize the phrase and his gaze softened, "And you're willing to take that chance with me?"

She leaned away so he could see her whole face and know she was serious.

"I'm willing to take a chance on loving you, yes. Because, despite what you want people to think, you are _not_ a bad person. Trouble, sometimes. Black sheep, definitely. But that's what I like about you. You aren't afraid to be yourself and you make me want to do the same," her smile deepend, "I know how I feel when I'm with you. I know what I'm signing up for, and I'm all in. The question is...are you?"

Damon started to answer, but before he spoke, the sound of his bedroom door opening grabbed both of their attention, and Elena spun around to see Stefan in the archway.

"Elena?" he was confused, dark brows pulling over his green eyes, "What are you-"

He noticed then, the way Damon was holding her, and that her hands were still on his chest, and those eyes widened.

"What the hell is going on?"

Resolve solidified like concrete in Elena's body as she untangled herself from Damon, who dropped his arms and let her go in defeat.

Despite all she had just said, there must be a part of him that was expecting her to explain this off and try to salvage whatever it was she and Stefan had had.

But for the first time in a long while, Elena felt certain of her choices and in control of her life.

She knew how things were going to play out and knew what she had to do.

"Stefan...I was just about to come find you."

* * *

The younger Salvatore frowned, his head still reeling, apparently, "Come find me? What are you talking about? What are you doing here? _How_ are you here?"

The questions poured out of him, and he still seemed baffled, so she decided not to drag things out.

"I was already here," she admitted, "I actually came over last night."

Damon made a quiet noise, almost like an exhale, and she knew she had surprised him.

Stefan's head crooked, his eyes flickering between them, "Last night? What the hell does that mean? We went to the Grill and-"

"And then you fucked Caroline again after I left?" she finished suggestively, not even that shocked that the revelation didn't bother her.

Stefan turned red, "How did you-"

"I told you, I've been here since last night," she crossed her arms, "I heard _everything_ you said to Damon. Your eye looks swollen by the way. You really should ice it."

A huff of amusement left Damon at the comment, but only seemed to confuse Stefan further.

He blinked and she could literally see the wheels of his mind turning, "You...you were here? You heard- wait, why would you be here? Where were you even-"

She arched a brow as he reached the inevitable conclusion, his gaze darting back and forth between her and his brother so fast, she thought his head might spin, "You were here with _him_."

"In the closet, actually," she motioned to the thing, "We weren't expecting you back so early."

* * *

Damon stared at the girl in front of him in total awe.

He'd always known she had a little fire, but it was pouring from her now unrelentlessly as she refused to give Stefan even an inch of consideration.

His brother was having a hard time understanding this side of her too, it seemed, but when the truth dawned on him, his expression suddenly cleared.

"Holy shit," Stefan stepped forward into the room, "You came over for Damon?! You...did you _sleep_ with him?!"

He glared at Damon now, "You fucked her, didn't you? That's low brother, even for you! I can't believe-"

Elena stepped forward, shoving against Stefan's chest when he tried to get in Damon's face.

"Stop!" she shouted at him and Stefan turned on her, "Elena, tell me you didn't-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there," she cut him off with a snarl that made even Damon recoil, "Not that it's any of your business, but no, I didn't sleep with him. However, if I had, you would

have no room to talk since you _did_ sleep with Caroline."

The reminder of his infidelity drew Stefan up short, "I-"

"I'm not finished," Elena snapped, "Because I did spend the night here, with him. And you know what, I don't regret it!"

It was almost comical, to see Stefan's expression tear between guilt and anger, not knowing which to react with.

Elena made that an easier choice.

"I cared about you and I trusted you and you hurt me," she pointed out, "But I got over it. I realized that I wasn't happy with you and obviously you weren't happy with me. I heard you this morning," she reminded him when he opened his mouth to argue, "I heard all of it. I know why you wanted to keep dating me."

Damon remembered exactly what Stefan had said, about her father and the internship, and got angry for her again.

However, Elena didn't seem too upset by the news; just annoyed by this situation.

* * *

At least Stefan had the decency to look guilty now, "I...I'm sorry, Elena. I know I should have told you about that. And I do care about you, I just-"

"Cared about yourself more," she concluded, "And that's fine. I wish you had been honest with me, but it doesn't matter now."

She turned to meet Damon's eyes, as she took a stilling breath.

He saw the resolve there, the certainty, and for the first time all morning, he felt relief.

This beautiful, kindhearted girl who was sexy and innocent and had offered herself to him in a way no one else ever had, was choosing him.

She wanted to be with him, and despite his doubts, he wanted to be with her too.

She brought out the best in him and made him want to strive for even more, if only for her sake.

He could do better, be better, for her.

Good and bad were just a series of choices, after all, and he knew they were making the right one now.

* * *

Elena offered Damon a smile that he returned before she gave Stefan her attention again.

And there was no doubt in her mind when she told him, "We're done. Whatever this was, is over. Because for once, I'm choosing what makes me happy."

She couldn't help but glance at Damon again, and Stefan scoffed, his brows lifting so high, they nearly touched his hairline, "You can't be serious..."

"I am," she said simply, turning to narrow her eyes at him, "And it's my choice to make. Damon makes me happy, and despite what you may think, he's capable of feeling the same way. So I'm going to be with him. And you, you're going to be nothing but happy and supportive.

Stefan huffed in disbelief, glaring between them both, "You want me to support you making a huge mistake?"

"Being with _you_ was the mistake," Elena told him, "And yes, you will be supportive. Because I'm going to make sure you keep that summer internship."

Apparently this was the last thing Stefan had expected her to say, because his mouth fell open and it took him a moment to regain composure, "You...you would do that?"

"Yes," she sighed, "I will. Because even though you've been a jerk, I know you aren't a completely horrible person, and that you do value your future. If that internship helps you get out of this town, I'm not going to ruin that for you."

His brows furrowed, "But...if we break up-"

"I'll tell my Dad it was amicable and remind him that you are still one of the top students in our class. That's as complicated as it has to be. We can break up. You can ask out Caroline if you want, and get the internship, and my dad's letter of recommendation, and I get to be with Damon without any sourness from you. Deal?"

She smiled before he could even formulate an answer, "Great. I knew you'd see things my way."

He gaped a little, his head shaking as he worked her offer over and as everything they had been pretending to be for years crumbled in the matter of moments.

Finally, Stefan fixed his eyes, not on her, but on Damon, "Do you actually care about her?"

Elena wanted to chide him for talking like she wasn't right there, but Damon's arm wrapping around her waist stopped her.

He pulled her into his side, but kept his stare on his brother.

"Enough to break my no girlfriend rule," he answered without hesitation, "And to be monogamous, which is more than you can say."

Stefan's jaw tensed at the jibe, but he had no room to talk,and he knew it.

So instead, he merely nodded and stepped back to the hall, "I guess that's it, then?"

Elena nodded, "I'll see you around, Stefan.

One final nod, and he left, probably heading back to his own room.

Or out to find Caroline.

Or who knew what, and who cared?

All that mattered was that it was over between them.

It was really over.

* * *

With a cheek splitting grin, Elena turned back to Damon.

His mood mirrored hers, and in less than a second he had scooped her up in his arms and was kissing her soundly.

Everything else faded away, until all that mattered was the feel of his skin and the happiness that had ceased her heart.

This was real.

This was right!

Breathlessly, she pulled away, still smiling, "How about that breakfast idea? It'll be like a first date, then we can go back to my house and you can give me my next lesson for dessert."

As if she thought his smile couldn't get any wider, Damon's eyes absolutely shone at her suggestion.

"Oh, I like you."

She giggled, "Then put on a shirt, and let's go get food!"

"Are you sure?" he teased, arms still encasing her, "It's pretty early, and we're dressed like we just crawled out of bed. Someone might see us, you know. That could be a little scandalous."

She pretended to consider his observation, "Hmm...true. But you see, I'm trying this new thing where I stop caring about what people think."

Damon laughed, "Oh really? And how does it feel?"

She smiled and kissed his lips one more time, "Freeing. Now put on a shirt."

* * *

He was still smirking as the parted, and he did as she said.

Soon they were downstairs and in her car, barely making it out of the drive because Damon's hands were all over her and she was finding it hard not to kiss him.

They laughed and joked and touched, and she knew this was how love was supposed to feel.

Sure, there were still things to work out, and their relationship was new and exciting, which could change.

But Elena had decided to just trust that it would all unfold the way it was meant to.

She was being honest with herself, and she was happier than she could remember being in a long time.

Right now, that was all that mattered.

She was going to enjoy the feelings for as long as they lasted, and go to town with her new boyfriend and eat the pancakes that the Grill served at breakfast.

And wouldn't you know, she didn't even care that her hair was a mess, that she had no makeup on, ir that she was dressed in PJ's.

* * *

**Suuuper sleepy and tired from work, but I managed to get this posted!**

**Bit of a rollercoaster chapter with a LOT happening!**

**Can't wait to read your reviews :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Final chapter!**

**Thank you to everyone who read and/or reviewed!**

**Catch ya at the bottom :)**

* * *

_One look and I can't catch my breath_

_Two souls into one flesh_

_When you're not next to me_

_I'm incomplete_

* * *

Four weeks.

That was all it took for Elena's life to change in an overwhelming capacity, after years of stifling routine.

Four weeks for her to realize exactly how much time she had wasted, trying to be something that she wasn't, and to start making better choices so that her future would be her own.

And as Damon, dressed as sharp as she had ever seen, pulled her out onto the dance floor, she didn't have a single regret.

* * *

_Cause I'm on fire like a thousand suns_

_I couldn't put it out even if I wanted to_

* * *

Elena's one month anniversary as Damon's girlfriend happened to fall on the same day as the Homecoming Dance.

She hadn't held out much hope that he would want to go.

Not that he hadn't indulged her every whim since they started officially dating, but the crowd and hype and social cliche wasn't exactly his scene.

So it was a surprise when he had stopped at her locker that morning, holding two tickets, and smirking like he knew he had caught her off guard.

"You do realize what you're volunteering for?" she double checked, unable to completely contain her excitement, "A school event. With other students. And formal wear."

He had laughed and pulled her close, "I'm signing up for a night of holding you in my arms as we dance to probably bad, but possibly romantic music. All the rest is just details."

Her heart had fluttered and she kissed him, not caring who saw or what they may have to say about it.

* * *

_These flames tonight_

_Look into my eyes and say you want me too_

_Like I want you_

* * *

Her "switching Salvatore's" had, as expected, been the topic of the school for a solid week.

Perfect Elena Gilbert was dating the school's playboy? Her ex's brother?

What had happened to the golden IT couple?

Was this latent rebellion?

Did her parents know?

She could admit that there was a time or two the whispers and side glances had made her self conscious, but then Damon would appear in front of her and all her doubts would wash away.

Stefan asked Caroline out the following week, and the attention moved to them, rumors spreading as they do about what had actually gone down.

By week three, the general population had moved on to worrying about the Homecoming game and finding dresses for the dance that would follow.

Now?

No one even batted an eye as she and Damon had practically made out against her locker.

* * *

_Oh, love, let me see inside your heart_

_All the cracks and broken parts_

* * *

While their classmates had been so hung up on the details of the whole affair, Elena's home experience was vastly different.

About two weeks after she and Damon had started going out, her mother seemed to realize his existence in Elena's life.

After dinner one night, she had asked about it while they washed dishes.

"Damon Salvatore dropped you off after cheer practice yesterday," Miranda had stated in a forced casual kind of way, "And picked you up for school this morning."

"Yes," Elena kept her voice just as aloof, "He did. He also gave me a ride to school last week."

A short pause had followed, "Any reason? Are you still tutoring with him? Or has Stefan been busy?"

"No," she didn't look away from the plate that she was drying, "We just like spending time together."

A longer pause.

"Are...are you sure that is wise, sweetheart? I know the two of you have always been friends, but what might people think if you're spending that much time galavanting around with your boyfriend's brother?"

Elena glanced over at her mother then, who had stopped washing all together and was staring right back.

It was odd, having her full attention for a rare moment.

She shook her head, "He isn't. My boyfriend's brother, I mean. Stefan and I are no longer together."

Miranda swallowed, as if this was what she had feared, "Oh Elena, I thought we talked about this. Stefan is-"

"Seeing someone else," Elena had finished, cutting her mother off, "And I'm spending time with Damon now. We are all fine with it."

Miranda's lips had pursed a little, the way they did when she was trying to rationalize with a patient, "I see. And what spurred this decision?"

Part of Elena had wanted to open up and tell her mother the truth.

That Stefan had cheated and that Damon had been there for her, and that she was learning how to be happy without worrying about the expectations of others...but these were things that Miranda would never understand.

So she had simply smiled and said, "Stefan and I amicably decided that we both wanted different things from a relationship. And in spending time with him, I've realized that what I want is Damon."

Her mother sighed deeply, "Elena, sweetheart, I wish you had discussed this with me beforehand. A young woman's reputation in a town like this is very-"

"Mom, it's okay," Elena insisted, reaching out to touch Miranda's arm, "Really. People were curious last week, but this week they've moved on to new gossip. Damon has been a perfect gentleman and I really am happy."

The verdict was weighed in her mother's eyes for a moment, until finally, she offered a weak smile, "Well, if you are sure everything has smoothed over. He _is_ from a Founding Family, after all. And surely Giuseppe will be pleased that you are helping influence his less..._achieving_ child. So long as your own academics do not suffer, I see no harm in your indulgence of this boy."

Elena was glad her Miranda had turned back to the dishes, and therefore missed her dramatic eye roll.

Founding Family. Academics. Of course these were the things Miranda was worried about.

Nonetheless, she took the win and even invited Damon over for dinner the following night.

Things were awkward, but not tense, and the half hour makeout in his car later that night made it totally worth it.

* * *

_The shadows in the light_

_There's no need to hide_

* * *

And that had been pretty much the last of the drama over the entire situation.

She and Stefan were cordial at school, but didn't try to really keep a close friendship.

Then he and Caroline really started dating and Elena found it easier to fade in with Damon and his group of friends.

Most of them were actually pretty great, and she especially clicked with Bonnie Bennett, who was in the same grade as her and had a quiet, yet sweet personality.

Since she was dating one of Damon's closest guy friends, Enzo St. John, they had spent a lot of time together over the past few weeks and were really getting along.

"I can't believe we've never hung out before," Elena had acknowledged one evening last week, when they had all gone to the Grill for lunch.

"Most of the Founding Families stick together," Bonnie had pointed out, "Inner circle and all that. I'm just glad Damon brought you to the dark side."

They had laughed it off, but Elena realized that it was true.

She was friends with Caroline and the rest of the "popular" crowd because they had all been raised together as the Mystic Fall's prestige.

Damon had recognized the bullshit of it all and had stepped away from the circle.

She was so glad he had, because these new friends were much more real than the backstabbing drama she was leaving behind.

It felt good; another plastic mask removed.

* * *

_Cause I'm on fire like a thousand suns_

_I couldn't put it out even if I wanted to_

* * *

"Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?" Damon whispered in her ear as they swayed to a waltzy melody.

The dance floor was pretty full, but they were in their own little world.

"Only a few hundred times," she kissed his cheek, before nuzzling the soft skin of his neck, "But please, don't stop."

He chuckled and squeezed her tighter as she reflected on this perfect night.

The Timberwolves had won the Homecoming Game, and for the first time in a while, she had actually enjoyed cheering for the team.

Maybe because Caroline wasn't acting like a complete bitch anymore.

Or maybe because Damon had been behind her, on the fence, shouting praises throughout the routines.

Either way it was a good start to the evening, which had gotten even better when Bonnie had come over to get dressed for the dance with her.

They had done each other's hair, and pondered over the possibility that their boys might actually dress up for the night.

Pleasantly surprising them both, Damon and Enzo had shown up at the Gilbert's house in suits, with flowers to boot.

Elena hadn't been able to take her eyes off her boyfriend since.

* * *

_These flames tonight _

_Look into my eyes and say you want me too_

_Like I want you_

* * *

"You know," she ran her hand over his chest, loving the way the dark suit jacket clung to his muscles, "You don't look so bad yourself."

Damon caught her hand and brought her fingers up to his lips, "I know. But don't get used to it. This tie is a damn noose."

She giggled, pulling at the knot that rested on the base of his throat, "You don't like to be choked? Damn. There goes my plans for the night."

Damon's head leaned back a little so their eyes met and all the other students dancing around them faded away.

"Oh, so you had plans for tonight? Why wasn't I privy to this?"

Elena shrugged, "Well, I was considering frisking my boyfriend for a while. He seems to like it when I do that...but you're pretty cute too. Play your cards right and I might be tempted to let you take me home instead."

"So naughty, Miss Gilbert," Damon played along, "And here I was under the impression that you were a good girl."

"I try to be," she sighed whimsically, "But this guy I'm dating, well, he has a way of making me want to do very very bad things."

Damon spun her once to the beat of the song and brought her back roughly against his chest, "Is that so?"

She nodded innocently and leaned in as close as she could, "Yes. For example, last Sunday I went to his house to help him study for a Biology test, but we ended up making out instead. Twenty minutes later, I was naked and his head was between my legs. I'm beginning to suspect he never planned on studying at all."

"Perhaps not," Damon allowed, "But it doesn't sound like you were bad at all. In fact, tonguing you until you cum sounds very _good_."

Elena felt a shiver of heat rush down her spine and smiled, "I did like that part. I also liked returning the favor."

She felt Damon's body tense as she pressed her lips to his ear, "Just thinking about sucking your cock makes me so wet. And baby? I've been thinking about it all night."

She bit his ear as she leaned away and Damon exhaled in a rush, "Fuck, Elena."

When their eyes met, she could see the raging desire in all that blue, as surely as it was reflecting in her own.

"You're getting too good at this," he bit out and she grinned cheekily, "Well, I did learn from the best."

She and Damon had done a lot in the past few weeks, but not everything.

She was still a virgin, and she mostly blamed Damon.

He had insisted that he wanted to take his time with her, slow things down, so that she knew he was with her for more than just sex.

The sentiment was sweet and she loved him for it, but all of their teasing was a hell of a build up and she was ready for the whole experience.

She wanted to feel Damon inside of her, and if the erection now pressing against her thigh was any proof, he wanted the same thing.

Taking a chance, she leaned up and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

She felt Damon's groan more than she heard it, since the song's tempo had sped up, but even so, she was affected.

Her body keyed up for him, and she rubbed her hips against his, feeling the ridge of him and wanting more.

"Elena," he breathed against her mouth with a slight chuckle, "We're on a very public dance floor."

She swallowed and looked up at him through her lashes, "Then let's go somewhere less public."

His gaze held hers, and the question was obvious in his expression as her words registered with him.

She smiled, "I'm ready, Damon. I want to be with you."

* * *

_Cause I'm on fire like a thousand suns_

_I couldn't put it out even if I wanted to_

* * *

They left the dance before the song had even finished, holding hands as they ran across the school parking lot.

Grinning like idiots and unable to keep from touching, Damon had picked her up and pinned her against his car, kissing her deeply.

The dress she had worn made their exploration easier, since it was both tastefully low cut and also short; the off-white silk bunching between them as her legs wrapped around Damon's waist.

The rush and heat only grew more desperate as they groped over clothes and she managed to get the tie around Damon's neck loose as he moved them to open the car door.

Driving to the Salvatore's house, they broke about a hundred traffic laws.

Elena was practically in Damon's lap, one of his hands was between her legs, and they were both okay with dying if it meant going out like that.

"God, you're soaked," he growled, slipping under her thongs as he also tried to watch the road.

Elena's mouth was glued to his neck and she moaned as he stroked her, "I told you. I'm so ready for you."

Parking was a fumbled mess once they reached the house, neither of them wanting to release each other long enough to actually get out of the car.

Damon ended up dragging her out through his side, and picking her back up so that he was carrying her up to the front door.

Giuseppe was gone, unsurprisingly, and Stefan would be at the dance with Caroline for a couple more hours at least, and the unbridled freedom did nothing to slow the urgency Elena knew they both felt.

Damon carried her to the stairs, where he put her back on her feet, and they kissed their way to the top, stripping his jacket and her shoes along the way.

* * *

_These flames tonight_

_Look into my eyes and say you want me too_

_Like I want you_

* * *

Elena didn't feel a lick of insecurity until they reached the bed.

When Damon led her back to the mattress, she reminded herself that they had been intimate in a million different ways before tonight.

This was _Damon_, and he was going to walk her through it, just as he had every other aspect of their physical relationship.

Even knowing this though, she was still a little nervous.

She wanted it to be as good for him as she knew he would make it for her.

Damon slowed down once they reached the bed, hovering over her as his lips left her mouth to trail down her neck.

"Mhmm," he stroked her skin with his tongue, sinking into the cradle of her hips, "You have no idea how many times I've imagined this."

"Me too," she admitted, with a slight blush, and he lifted onto his elbows to look at her.

"Before we go too far, are you sure you want to do this tonight? Everything. All the way."

Elena nodded, "Yes. I'm a little nervous about performance...but yes. I want to do this."

Damon smiled that sexy half smirk that she adored, "Baby, I promise, you have nothing to worry about. You already feel so perfect, if anything, I'm the one who should be worried."

She giggled and ran her hands over his biceps, then down his back, "I know it's silly. I just want this to be good for us both. This is...this is huge for me. I don't want to mess it up."

Damon leaned down and kissed her softly, a brush of their lips.

"Impossible," he promised, "It's going to be amazing, just because it's you."

"But I don't know what to do, and I-"

"Elena," he gently interrupted her thought, "You _do_ know what to do. It's the same thing we've been doing. Just more."

She exhaled, "A _lot _more."

Damon smirked again and brushed her nose with his, "Do you remember that first day I touched you? In your living room, on the couch?"

The memory made her heart race, but she nodded, "Yes."

"You trusted me to make you feel good, and I did, didn't I?"

She nodded again.

"Then right here, in this room, the first night you slept over, you went down on me and sucked me off, remember?"

Another blush, another nod.

"You made me feel good that day," he assured her, "And every day since. You're literally the best I've ever had, and I haven't even _had_ you yet. So don't worry about that, okay? I love you and I want you. You want me. Nothing else matters."

Nothing else matters.

"So I'm going to touch you," he kissed her nose, "And eventually, I'm going to be inside you. If you change your mind, or I do something you don't like, let me know. And if I do something you do like...well, when you scream my name, I'll know that too.."

Elena laughed at his comment and felt herself relax.

She stared up at her boyfriend, amazed that he always seemed to know the right thing to say.

"Thank you. And I love you," she whispered, and Damon closed his eyes, "I swear I could listen to you say that all night."

She smiled, "You could...but we have other plans."

With a slight wiggle of her hips, they were both refocused on the point, and Damon laughed, "Yes...we do, don't we?"

She reached up and grabbed him by the neck, pulling his mouth back to hers, and let his lips wash away the rest of her insecurities.

_It's like a hunger in me_

_Yeah, it's never ending_

_Yeah, I'll burn for you_

_I'll burn for you_

Proving his words true, Damon moved slowly, drawing Elena into him until she was just as loose and wanting as always.

The more he worked her body with his touches, the more clouded her mind became and any doubts that may have lingered disappeared into a thin wisp of air.

Their clothes came off piece at a time, with Damon carefully unzipping her dress until the thin straps slid off her shoulders.

By the time they were both completely naked, he had rolled them on the mattress so that they were stretched out against each other, and like each new step before, he took the lead and she followed his cues.

He kissed her entirely, suckled her breast and clit, and made sure even her inner thighs were damp with wetness before aligning their bodies.

"Ready?" he asked with a voice that was thick from desire, and Elena nodded.

God yes, she was so ready.

Damon kissed her mouth one more time, then reached over to the night stand by the bed and grabbed a condom from the drawer.

With the ease of experience, he used his teeth to tear the wrapper and started to unfoil the package.

"Can I?" Elena asked, almost shyly, but Damon answered with a gentle smile, "Absolutely."

He gave her the rubber, and with some instruction, she got everything in place, stroking his pulsing hard on a few extra times, for good measure.

Damon groaned in pleasure and she pulled him forward.

"I want this."

His hand slipped down to join hers and they positioned the blunt head of him at her entrance.

"I'll go slow," he said through clenched teeth, and began to slide in.

Elena closed her eyes and buried her face in his neck.

* * *

_It's like a hunger in me_

_Yeah, it's never ending_

_Yeah, I'll burn for you_

_Burn for you_

* * *

I love you.

Oh god, I love you. I love you. I love you.

That was the only coherent thought Elena found herself capable of thinking as Damon began thrusting inside of her.

The sensations were new, but familiar.

Overwhelming, yet not enough.

She felt a slight twinge of discomfort as her body adjusted to the size of him, but it was nothing compared to the pleasure that the friction of his movements was causing.

"Oh god," she exhaled, "Damon, this feels so good."

He kissed her in response, letting his tongue dip into her mouth, in and out, so that he was taking and giving in all possible ways.

She loved it. She loved him.

"More," she whispered against his lips, "I want more."

Damon seemed to harden further inside of her, and his tempo increased, slowly at first, but as she rocked her hips with him in encouragement, he let loose.

Incoherent noises fell from her mouth as he truly started fucking her, yet there was something so tender in his caress that she almost wanted to cry.

This was as intimate as you could ever be with another person, and she was so glad that Damon was the one she was sharing this with.

"I love you," she trembled as the orgasm that had been building in her core rushed out and robbed her breath.

Her legs clenched around Damon's waist and he rode her through the waves of pleasure, until the tingling was gone and he paused, moving shallowly to let her recover.

* * *

_I'm on fire like a thousand suns_

_I couldn't put it out even if I wanted to_

* * *

"Wow," she laughed lightheartedly, "That was...wow."

Damon placed a kiss on her neck with a grin of his own, "Told you."

"You did. And you were right," she admitted, "That was amazing."

Damon accepted the praise with another kiss, then asked, "Are you sore? Did you want to stop?"

"Nope," Elena shook her head, "I am not finished with you yet."

"Good," Damon smirked, and flipped them, moving so fast that Elena barely had time to comprehend the motion, "Then do me."

She was on top of him now, straddling his hips, and somehow his cock was reaching even further inside of her at this angle.

His hands on her hips acted as a guide as she started to move; carefully at first, getting a feel for it.

Being on top was a whole different sensation, but she liked it just as much, if not more, than the position they had been in moments ago.

She could see Damon better this way, and loved how his expression tightened in pleasure when she sped up her movements.

"Oh fuck," he encouraged, and his eyes fell closed, "Just like that, baby, just like that."

Elena had gotten good at reading his body; she knew what to do with her hand to drive him wild and she knew what made him reach the edge.

It was a learning experience, stroking him with her body and not just her palm, but his tells were the same, and it wasn't long until she felt more confident in her thrusts.

Damon cursed as she teased him to the edge, slowed down, then sped up again to draw out his build up.

He was so responsive to her every move that, despite her lack of experience, she felt like some kind of sex goddess.

"This is so hot," she admitted as she rode him hard, planting her palms against his chest, "I'm getting close again."

"Me too," Damon told her, and reached up between them, "I want to feel you come on me again."

His fingers brushed her clit, and after a few strokes, the echo of an orgasm became the real deal, seizing through her entire body until the wave of pleasure ran its course.

She cried out and maybe, just maybe, screamed out Damon's name.

That last factor was his undoing as well, and she felt his erection kick inside of her as he exploded with a harsh curse.

Their combined pulsings dragged out the sensations, until it was too much, and Elena collapsed onto Damon's chest.

His arms wrapped around her and she exhaled, listening to the thrumming of his elevated heartbeat.

* * *

_These flames tonight_

_Look into my eyes and say you want me too_

_Like I want you_

* * *

Half an hour later, they had discarded the condom, rinsed off in the shower, and had ended up beneath the blankets of Damon's bed, cuddled against each other's bodies, still naked.

"I can't wait to do that again," Elena sighed happily, "I can't believe you didn't tell me it would be that good."

Damon's quiet laugh vibrated against her cheek, "Actually, I think I did. Several times, in fact. Not my fault you made a stipulation to our original agreement that you'd never sleep with me."

"Psh," she made a halfhearted argument, "Maybe I would have reconsidered sooner if you hadn't undersold the experience."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," his response was a tad smug.

Elena didn't care; as far as she was concerned, he had earned the right to be proud.

"I really did...thank you."

Damon looked down at her, "I feel like I should be saying that. I don't think I've ever cum that hard in my life."

Now she was the one feeling smug, and snuggled further into his chest to hide her smile as she teased him with his own words, "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

Damon chuckled and kissed her head, "You kill me, baby."

"In a good way, I hope."

"Always," he yawned, and squeezed his arms a little more securely around her body, "You're staying the night, right?"

Elena nodded, starting to feel a little drowsy herself, "Yeah. Mom and Dad are both working and think I'm going to a friend's tonight. I don't have to be home until tomorrow afternoon."

"Perfect," Damon sank further into the mattress, "Then we aren't moving until then."

She smiled, "Not even if I want to do this again in the morning?"

"I knew you'd become addicted once you had a taste," Damon's mouth twitched against her head with an amusement that matched his tone, "But let's see how you feel when you wake up. I know it may not seem too bad yet, but you are going to be sore."

She knew he was right.

She could already feel the slight twinge settling in between her legs.

But she didn't care.

It was all worth it, and would be again.

"If I'm too sore, you can just go down on me instead," she offered and Damon nodded drowsily, "Whatever you want, baby."

Content with that, Elena sighed and closed her eyes, "Goodnight, Damon. I love you."

"Love you," he said, sounding as if he were already falling asleep, "So much love you."

Elena smiled again and pressed a kiss against his chest.

* * *

_I got a hunger in me_

* * *

There was so much they would never be able to control.

Gossip would still spread through small towns like wildfire, upper class parents would still expect their perfect children to follow in their perfect footsteps, and the pressures of society weren't likely to ease any time soon.

But Elena had realized that despite all of these things, she was going to be okay, because she knew the truth.

It didn't matter if she couldn't meet all the expectations placed on her by the world she was born into.

All that mattered were the little things that made the bad stuff worth enduring.

Like this perfect end to a perfect night with someone who truly loved her.

Sometimes, that was all you could ask for.

And with the right person, it was more than enough.

* * *

_I got a hunger in me_

* * *

**The End!**

**Hope you guys enjoyed the final chapter and the story over all :)**

**Will be trying to post another new story soon, so be on the look out, if you're still following DE fanfiction after all this time lol.**

**Other notes:  
Song used for this chapter was _Hunger_, which was what Delena danced to in the S6 finale  
And Elena's homecoming dress was inspired by her 18th birthday dress at the beginning of S2**


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